I’ve been thinking about writing on this topic for a while.  Might as well do it now.

I always find myself looking at other people, and wondering what their ‘pet dislikes’ are about themselves.  Do you know what I mean?  When I see someone with really bad teeth, I wonder if they really hate their own teeth… do they notice it the same way that I do?  Do they absolutely hate their teeth, accept them as fine, or do they have something else totally unrelated that they dislike about themselves?

There are little things about myself that I look at, and they bug me.  I hate that my nose is bigger than Brocks.  When I was in 4th grade, for picture day, one of the helpers told me my ears stuck out too far, so I always notice that.  Are those the things that other people notice first about me, or are they just the things that I worry about?  If that isn’t what other people notice, what instead do they notice first?

I think we get too focused in on the things we dislike about ourselves, only to magnify them and blow them out of proportion.  I read a study that said most people find themselves 20% less attractive than others find them.  I think that’s pretty interesting. 

And when all is said and done, shouldn’t I be able to get over my big nose (that I got from dad), and love my ears the way they are… just because everyone else thinks they look great?  Maybe I need to find that from within instead, because love and acceptance of self should be something I have… not something that is given to me.

How we view ourselves… it’s a tricky subject.  My self-esteem is like a barometer, up on Monday, down on Tuesday, right around the middle Wednesday and so on.  I don’t think I’m the only one.