Wanting

by Kris Pitcher

Tis the season to want. We ask children to make lists to send to Santa, and their relatives. Lists are made for loved ones, and for ourselves. Our focus turns to wanting. The challenge here for me fundamentally is we're telling ourselves what we have isn't good enough. This thinking extends directly and in a literal way to our bodies, and ourselves.

Conceptually this is something which requires our attention in an ongoing way. It's difficult to stay connected to "wanting what you have" instead of "having what you want". We are products of our environment, and our environment constantly sends us messages telling us we should want other things. Things we don't have. That's their job, they are marketers...and we are consumers.

If we can start our fitness journey wanting what we have, I believe we will take care of ourselves - our bodies - in a way which will get us where we want to be. It's a matter of finding things that you can love and appreciate about yourself and turning your energy toward those things, rather than being negative or focusing on things you are working on.

Now, you might prefer to run down the freeway in your birthday suit than take on this exercise. But, if you have a door that locks, and a full length mirror...put your birthday suit on and take a look at yourself. Can you appreciate the sweep of your collar bone? Can you see your calves if you stand on your toes? What do you think overall? Can you want what you have?

If you can, you are standing in a good place. You are in a place where appreciation leads to self-care, and self-care leads to doing what you need to do to stick to your plan. Wanting what you have is one way to stay connected in a deep way to what's important to you - you!