Stemming off of my epic rant from a few weeks ago, I wanted to talk about the idea of taking up space.
We are told (especially as women, but men as well) to be as physically small as possible, and that this will be our true ticket to health and happiness.
We've been over how this is completely false and how your weight doesn't determine your health or happiness, but I want to go beyond that.
I want to go beyond the muscle weighs more than fat thing (fun fact: 100lbs of muscle weighs the same as 100lbs of fat, they just take up different amounts of space).
I want to go beyond the ideological 120lbs goal weight that everyone seems to be striving for.
I want to go beyond this idea that somehow we will have a significantly more enjoyable and fulfilled life if we are thin and take up less space.
We are so much more than the number on the scale or the appearance in the mirror. Our worth and value go so much further and can achieve so much more in this world.
What would happen if we took all of that mental energy output that we put towards being skinny and turned it to other activities in our lives? Can you imagine how much more time we would have to spend on the more important things in life, the moments that actually matter?
Consider this: you can't take this body or any of your possessions into the next life. They stay here while you move on. Do you really want someone at your funeral to say, "She lived a great life because she was skinny."
That's not how it works. That's not the point of our time here on earth.
We are meant to take up space, physically, intellectually, mentally, and emotionally. We are created to impact others through our lives and actions. We are designed to bring goodness and love into the world.
But we can't achieve this goal if we continually focus only on ourselves and how small we can be.
It's not easy to abandon this way of thinking. In fact, it's quite scary to take the leap. Trust me - I'm in this space every single day.
But if and when you do, you'll be surprised at just how strong you can become when you stop trying to be as small as possible.
xoxo Olivia
