Before and After
Spring and Summer are prime time for makeover shows. Typically, a “not-so-good-looking” lady is transformed into something spectacular. Sometimes, this makeover is instant and in other cases, it takes months of hard work. Regardless of the length of time, one thing stays true; the dream or notion of a makeover brings with it certain responsibilities. It produces an image of what we can look like if we undergo certain changes. In the case of weight loss, there is a defined weight that an individual might hope to loose.
“Makeovers” remind us that we can become the image that we envision as long as we work hard towards it. In all the makeover shows I have witnessed, I have never encountered an individual rejoice in the fact that their “after” look was just the same as their “before” look. On the contrary, the joy is heightened if the transformation is rather significant. If indeed we are poised to become the image we envision (as long as we work towards it), it presupposes that a huge responsibility awaits us. While the physical makeovers are what we mostly rave about, there remains even yet a more crucial makeover: the mental makeover.
You are what you eat, but you also are what you reflect on or what you allow to control your mind. You might be physically fit but mentally unwell. I would argue that a mental makeover is one of the most difficult and yet rewarding tasks one could undertake in this world. It’s no simple feat to review or even amend long held beliefs, values, customs and mindsets , and yet sometimes, these are the very things that hold us back from attaining the much needed “after” look. Countries have gone to war because someone failed to have a mind makeover (mental shift).
Lives have been lost, family ties fractured, destinies abandoned, marriages truncated, and health compromised because although we disliked the current state of things (our before picture), we were not willing or committed enough to do the needful to secure the “after” look. In this month of love, romance, passion, and positivity, let’s take a second look at our mindset. Are there certain mental weights that need to be shed? Are there new habits that need to imbibed? How about the goals we set for this year? Are they still looking good? Will accomplishing those goals take you to your desired “after” look?
