Self-Esteem

I couldn't find any pictures to go along with my post, so I'll just add a few from my October 2011 folder.

We don't have an antenna to watch network TV, so conference and Sponge Bob come from the computer. Hence all of the pictures of kids in front of them. And no, this only takes up about an hr of our day, here and there. I can't get them to sit for longer than that.
#8 watching conference.
And this beauty came from scouts. It was a trust excersize where 2 was blind folded and following the directions of another 10 yr old scout. Lesson-1. never trust a 10 yr old boy. 2-never run blind folded with out having your arms out in front of you. 3- listen closer to the directions.

So I have been thinking a lot about self-esteem lately. It isn't something I have thought much about since my early 20's.
I was the type, to always compare myself to others. I wanted to be as skinny as her, or have a husband who made as much as hers. Or be crafty like them. The more I worried about what others had or did the unhappier I was. The same went for worrying about what others thought of me. It made me unhappy when people didn't like me. I based my self worth, on how other people saw me. Or how I thought others saw me. I wanted to look different and be a different person, so others would think better of me. Kind of conceited, to think anyone noticed what I was doing. Chances are pretty good, the only other people who were worried about what I was doing, were the ones comparing themselves to me, just like I was doing to them.
I think the same thing goes for the way we look. We were put together exactly as we were meant to be.
I was called to be a teacher in Relief Society, and I am giving my first lesson on Sunday. It is on the post mortal existence. The part that has gotten me thinking about this whole self esteem self image thing, was the part about taking our addictions and thought processes and mind sets, with us when we go. I always thought that pertained to people that had addictions or didn't like certain things like, a dislike for a certain food. No big deal, we'll over come those things here and not have to worry about them later. It's easier here, right? But, it also means we take how we feel about our selves. What happens if we decide we don't like our nose? What happens if we don't like it and get it fixed. We are getting our bodies back after the resurrection, and I can bet, it won't be the nose that plastic surgeon gave us. How are we going to feel about that? The same way we did here?
I am in no way perfect, as a matter of fact, I have a lot of features that by world standards are not beautiful. But, I am happy. I am happy with who I am, even with the neck I inherited from my grandmother. As a matter of fact, I never even noticed it, until family members started pointing it out. The worst part about that? Then I started noticing the eyelids, my family hates, on my kids. The eyes I love, and think are perfect.
Chances are, nobody else cares what you look like. Except the people, who are picking themselves apart and comparing themselves to you. Chances are, as soon as you quit noticing things about other people that aren't perfect, you will worry less about people think of you. You will worry less about not having that perfect by the worlds standard, whatever. Those people who are confident, and happy are that way because they have gotten to a place in there life where they don't look at what they are not, or what they don't have. And don't worry about what the world thinks they should look like or dress like or act like or drive or live in. One of the perks of that, we don't end up spending our selves into oblivion, trying to keep up.
You are who you are supposed to be. Every one gets old, gains weight, looses hair, goes grey. It's okay. It's what happens. To all of us. Embrace who you are.