Author's Note: This isn't exactly your traditional Times "Help" article. It's more a light dosage of prompting towards self-help than an actual informative discourse.
I'm willing to bet that I know many of you more than you think.
I don't even have to have talked to you know that at some point in your life you have almost unavoidably thought yourself to be too fat, too ugly, too different, too similar, too tall, too short, too this or too that. It's okay to think those things; a non-overpowering degree of humility is one of the best redeeming qualities a person can have. Heck, I thought most of those things of myself just this morning. It's normal, I can promise you that much.
However, there's another much more important and (ideally) influencing promise I can make to you.
You are not - nor have you ever been, nor will you ever in your life be - too anything.
How is such a thing even possible? You're you, and at any given second you are who and what you are. You are not too anything to be yourself. Maybe you don't like yourself and maybe you'd like to change how you look. This is also perfectly acceptable if you keep your health and safety in mind. You can ditch the chips and replace them with celery if it makes you feel better, but if you like those chips and you're happy eating them why stop?
Being happy with yourself takes more work than loathing the majority of your being. This statement can be backed by anyone who has made efforts to fight through self-hatred; but anyone who has finally come to the result of self-acceptance can tell you that it is worth the fight.
I am here to tell you that you are not too anything. The notion in and of itself lacks even a shred of logic. Everyone spews quotes and short stories and inspiring pictures at you telling you "You're beautiful no matter what" and I believe that in the hype the true and down-to-earth point gets lost.
You will never in your life be another person. You can choose to be unhappy with who you've been given the opportunity to be and live your entire life always finding something wrong with yourself; or you can aim for that ultimate ease of mind provided by learning to be okay with who you are.
It's your choice.
