What does it mean to love yourself? When we love others we spend time with them, we care for them, we want to make their lives easier. Loving ourselves can be a difficult journey especially when it comes to loving and accepting ourselves just as we are.
For the past several months we have been following Ryan Pilkington on his health journey. Ryan put a line in the sand in late October 2018. Ryan decided to embrace the identity of being "the elephant" (or the largest person) in the room. Ryan has been a passionate advocate for anti-bullying and with his podcast and BLOG "The Charging Elephant", he emphasizes helping people who struggle with their weight to "embrace their flaws and charge to a healthier life."
This month Ryan shares how he feels like a "butterfly coming out of a cocoon." He talks about how doing hard things and the struggle of changing habits have been transforming him into who he wants to be. He says that most of us try to "avoid" pain and hard things, but that he's been learning to meet his hard days with compassion. Ryan has been working daily on "I am affirmations" to promote positive self-talk. He is learning to be resilient and keep going when he takes a side track off the trail of a health. Ryan is being mindful of how he feels when he eats certain things. Ryan talks with us about changing habits and embracing imperfections. He shares how self-love is incorporated into our habits and decisions. Ryan shares his own struggles with feeling not enough and how he has been able to work through feelings in order to keep himself focused on the life he is creating. He shares how everyone wants to "be seen" for who they are and that we all have a purpose in our lives.
He shares his passion for helping teens know they matter. He says we all get to write our own stories. He says he wants teens to know and love themselves. Ryan shares how the love of others has helped to strengthen and support him as he makes difficult changes in his life. Ryan talks about how he hopes to help teens feel more connected, have positive thoughts, and see their potential. When we lose sight of our value and don't feel worth, we miss opportunities to serve others.
Ryan will release his biography later this year about his life being bullied for being "fat." Ryan is vulnerable that he is still on the path of self-love and acceptance. It's a journey to "Be Comfortable Being You!"