There’s a sign in the gym, above the weights, that says:

You’re getting stronger.

I usually don’t pay much attention to the signs at the gym as I think they are really cheesy, but I can’t count how many times I’ve been struggling to do my last bicep curl and my eyes focused on that sign and I believed it. I can’t count how many times I’ve been at the gym, with a hurting heart, and my gaze wandered over to that sign.

You’re getting stronger.

and I believed it.

I’ve spent a lot of time in my life being unkind to myself.  Wishing my thighs were smaller or my stomach was flatter or my eyelashes were longer… that I was a nicer person, more friendly or that I could be outgoing and charming in a room full of strangers.  I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but somewhere in the midst of accepting that my husband was leaving me, I learned to give myself a little bit of a break. I started appreciating my body for the curves that it has and I started really believing in my creative abilities, that they were something special.  I started liking the person that I was, seeing what other people saw, that I was fun to be around and actually pretty amazing. It’s amazing how much easier life is when we treat ourselves with kindness.

So I continue this practice of believing. When somebody pays me a compliment, I believe them.  When a friend admires a strength that I possess, I believe them. And when the sign at the gym tells me I’m getting stronger, I believe it.  Because, after all, it’s true.