Sooo . . . do YOU love your body?

One of the things I love best about teaching is the questions. I like the moment of anticipation. I like figuring out what people need to know, what confuses them and excites them. And I love the process of picking through my brain to come up with the most useful, concise and true formulation of information to give an answer that is useful but also provokes at least twenty more questions.

There is one question, though, or type of question, that I’m always waiting to be asked. And it never comes.

I lead workshops and courses on dissolving procrastination and no one ever wants to know if I procrastinate.

I’ve taught programs on how to love your body and no one ever asks me if I love my body.

I work with clients on how to resolve habits and no one ever wonders if I have resolved my own.

If I were going to sign up for a program on any of these topics — in fact, before I would be willing to take part in a program on any of these topics — you can bet that my very first question to the instructor would be “Do you procrastinate? Do you love your body? Have you resolved your habits?”

And a very specific type of answer would have to be given in order to satisfy me.

“Yes, I procrastinate” or “No, I don’t love my body” are clearly the wrong answers. Why would I want to learn how to stop procrastinating from someone who still does it herself? Why learn to love my body from someone who can’t love his own?

“No, I never procrastinate” and “Of course I love my body” are also no good. Why would I want to learn from someone who doesn’t personally understand my issues, my concerns and my pain?

The only answer that would satisfy me would be either, “I used to have this issue, but using X, Y and Z techniques I resolved it” or “I still have my moments occasionally, but I also know now how to recognize what’s going on and give myself the support and help I need to pull out of this moment and get centered again”.

In other words, someone who on the one hand is enormously capable and who on the other hand is willing to be imperfect. Someone with knowledge and skill who can be at home in his or her imperfection without being self-satisfied about it. That’s the person I like to learn from and this is the person I try to be.

Follow