04 Jun Pictures ARE Worth A Thousand Words
This week’s blog contribution is from Michelle Fink, High5 Leadership Co-VP of Ops/Trainer.
In April, my husband and I went on our honeymoon to Costa Rica. We experienced new things and got way out of our comfort zone. It was an exciting adventure and we had an amazing time!
Of course, as anyone would expect, there were a lot of pictures from the trip and all of our excursions.
One excursion was a white water rafting trip, and there was actually a photographer hired to take the live action pictures of us on the river. Since we were on the water, I was wearing a swimming suit. Now, in my later years I have added some weight. While I’m not necessarily happy about it, I’m much less concerned about it than I used to be. In fact, I’m more comfortable in my skin than I ever have been in my life. However, when I saw the photos, all of my old programming kicked in about how bad I looked in that swimming suit, and how much I disliked the pictures because of it. THEN, my husband did the unthinkable. He posted all the pictures on Facebook!
When I expressed my irritation about it and told him why, here’s what he said to me. “Do you know what I see when I look at those pictures? I see an awesome adventure, and a great memory. I see the woman I love having the time of her life.” Then he said to me “If you’re that unhappy about it, take them down.” I thought about what he said and decided he was right, so I left the pictures on Facebook for anyone in the world to see.
Pictures are about capturing memories and lifetimes. They aren’t about judgment, even of ourselves. I once read an article about a woman who was unhappy with her physical appearance and spent years avoiding being in pictures. What she eventually realized was that, as a result, she had missed a lot of experiences and lost her touchstone to a lot of memories. She finally decided nothing mattered except the life those pictures were showing. I’ve decided the same thing!
My mother was dying of cancer and still worrying about when her significant weight loss would show on the scale. That’s no way to die, and it’s certainly no way to LIVE. As Dr. Seuss wrote, “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.” Embrace YOU! Wear your YOU with pride no matter how it looks in a swimming suit. Moving forward, that’s my commitment to myself. I’m going to savor the memories I create and record them with joy as well as lots and lots of pictures. When I look back on them, all that will matter is the story they tell. MY story. ~ Michelle Fink
Would you like to know how to create a High5 life? One that has deeper relationships, more joy and leads to greater wins? Let’s set up a coaching session and explore. It’s free. Email me at barb@high5leadership.com to set up a call.