Tell Me What You Don’t Like about Yourself

Did you ever see the show Nip Tuck? I never watched it, but I used to see commercials for it during Charmed, because they had an actor in common. Overall, it didn’t strike me as a worthwhile use of my time. It still doesn’t. I really hated how the main character would ask women, at the start of the cosmetic surgery consultation, “Tell me what you don’t like about yourself.” I mean, I have my issues with cosmetic surgery as it is. When it’s approached in that self-hating way, I really loath it.

Even so, that question stuck with me. Tell me what you don’t like about yourself. I think it’s a good question to ask yourself sometimes, now that I’m older. Not about my appearance, but about my actions.

I don’t mean this to come off as derogatory. For the most part I think that I, like most people, am doing the best I can with the resources I have.

But I know for sure that I have some really bad habits that are causing me some grief. I love me, but there are still things that I don’t like about me. It’s getting toward that time of the year when we all make promises to ourselves about how we’re going to be better people. Quit smoking, lose weight, start reading more, eat healthier. While those are great goals, I wonder if they’re really what’s going to make the most impact on your life. Maybe you’re health is just freaking fine. (Unless you’re smoking. Go ahead and quit that, please. I like you and I’d like to see you stick around.) So, rather than making the same goals everyone else is making, let’s make some that are based on that simple question.

Tell me (you) what you don’t like about yourself.

What don’t you like about your home life?

What don’t you like about your current financial situation?

What don’t you like about your self-care regiment?

What don’t you like about your creative outlet/side hustle?

I chose those four because they represent the four corners of what I feel are a balanced life. My home, my finances, my self-care and my writing are the four areas that I feel that I can focus on and improve in my life. You might have totally different categories, and that’s fine. This is your life. How you want to improve it is personal.

So, what don’t you like about yourself? More importantly, what can you do to change it?