Rethinking
'The Perfect Body'
by Lisa Bonnice
AddressingTheGoo.com
I mean that if you can’t seem to make your body look a certain way, no matter how hard you try, then chances are real good that your body isn’t supposed to look that way. You blame it on bad diet and not enough exercise, but that is only a part of it, and a small one at that.
Look at all the different, healthy body shapes there are. Tall, thin, stocky, muscular, willowy, and on and on. They are healthy and normal. Please note, then, that the stereotypical model figure is only ONE OF MANY. Some people naturally look like that. They don’t have to try, they just do. Just like I don’t have to try to look short and curvy. I just am, no matter how much I weigh.
But somehow the people with that body shape have managed to get treated better and are practically revered, so therefore the rest of us naturally want to look like them. However, if your body is supposed to be something else, even when it’s at it healthiest, then I can guarantee that you will never ever ever ever ever ever EVER, no matter how hard you try or how much surgery you get, never look like that body shape.
You can’t change genetics.
So if you have one of those shapes that doesn’t fit into that one desired mold, then you’re going to have to just accept it and start to think of that shape as JUST AS GOOD AS the desired norm — because there’s nothing you can do about it anyway.
Now, this isn’t just a self-esteem issue. It’s a creative issue. By thinking of yourself as having an imperfect body, then that’s what you are creating whether you are aware of it or not.
If your body is supposed to look like shape “A,” then your body knows that and is trying to maintain that shape. But then you come along with thoughts and demands for it to look like shape “B.” And unless you have the power of a sorceress or wizard, it ain’t happenin.’ So what you’re actually getting is a weird morph of AB. That’s why you are struggling to reach that goal, because your body doesn’t know what to do with the energy you’re pushing on it, so it just places it in the most pleasing manner that it can. You keep piling more of it on, so it starts running out of places for it to go. Gradually it looks less pleasing. Not less pleasing as in “less than like a model’s figure,” but less than pleasing for YOUR BODY TYPE.
Think of it this way: could you make your body look like one of the other, undesired shapes? Could you go from tall to short? No? Then why on earth would you think you could change it into that model shape when your skeleton and muscles aren’t built like that?
You need to take a look at your bone structure and the healthiest, most fit people in your family. See whose body shape you most resemble. That’s your goal — not some swimsuit model.
For example, I’m about 5’2” (5’3” on a tall day). I have a sort of muscular build. My thighs are naturally heavy and powerful looking. I have great legs when they’re toned—very shapely. I have wide hips, an hourglass figure and a larger than average bust. That’s what I look like whether I’m fat or thin, there’s just more or less of me either way. So when I make the effort—through change to a healthier diet and more activity to look my best—I’m not ever going to look like a supermodel. I will not suddenly grow taller and narrower. However, I can still have a pretty cute little package. So that’s the goal I need to keep in mind for myself. A cute little package. I can do that!
Now lets’ get back to, “You’re perfect just the way you are;” the underlying metaphysical principle. When someone says that to you, you know as well as I do that your response is something like, “No, I’m not.” And then you start pointing out why you’re not.
But what the saying actually means is that in order to attain perfection, you have to believe you’re perfect already. Here comes that obnoxious metaphysical leap of faith you keep hearing that you have to make. But until you do think of yourself as perfect NOW, you NEVER will be. It’s the most annoying paradox known to mankind. Creativity is in the NOW moment.
Break it down: grab the perfect image that you just discovered from a family member, the one that your body has a chance of actually attaining. Think of yourself as looking like that. Even with a lot of weight on you, you can at least imagine that, because it’s believable to you that you can get there. You can easily see your face on that body.
Keep thinking of yourself like that, and you’ll gradually begin to look like that. You’ll find that you just magically start eating better. You’ll start thinking twice about eating sugar. You’ll start parking a little further away than you have to, or noticing that your butt is sore from sitting so much so you get up and move around more.
Now I want you to reconsider the opening paragraph of this article:
If you think of your body as less than perfect, then you have the wrong image of “perfect” in your mind.
Makes more sense now, doesn’t it? In fact, it’s logical. The problem is that we don’t think about our bodies with logic, we do it emotionally, with much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Fact is, our body can only have one mold. It’s up to us to make it a healthy one.
So yeah, you can have the perfect body. You just have to decide on a more perfect “perfect” for you!
Copyright 2003 Lisa Bonnice
Lisa Bonnice is the author of Addressing the Goo—the metaphysics of weight loss. She has been studying metaphysics and the magical arts for about 20 years, including pursuing a degree in metaphysics. She has earned her living as a stand-up comedienne, humor columnist, writer and producer for a television variety show, editor for Future Medicine Publishers' Alternative Medicine—The Definitive Guide, television reporter and, most recently, spent over five years as an award-winning affiliate writer and producer for MSNBC.com. Her book is available at www.addressingthegoo.com. Questions for the author can be sent to lisa@addressingthegoo.com