I was listening to the radio the other day and Colbie Caillat’s song Try came on.  If you haven’t heard it yet give it a listen:

I’ve heard this song before and I really love the whole message of the song.  This time as I was listening though, one line really struck me.

Do you like you?

It’s a really simple question.  Although it is a simple question, I don’t think many of us spend that much time thinking about it.  We often get caught up in worrying about what everyone else thinks about us that we never stop to see if we like ourselves.

It’s kind of backwards though, shouldn’t we worry more about what we think about ourselves more than what people we don’t know think?  Shouldn’t we be working to constantly improve for ourselves and not the random stranger we pass on the street?  I know we’re always told to not try and impress others, but do we really take that advice to heart?

I know for me that sometimes I can get so caught up in trying to please others.  I want people to like me and think that I’m a good person, it’s natural to want to be liked.  But it shouldn’t come at the expense of what I think about me.  I’ve been with me for 27 years and hopefully I will be spending many more years with me.  I want to make sure that I am the best me possible for me not just others.

And I’m not just talking about how I look.  Yes, I think that it is important to eat well and move more but it isn’t everything.  If someone judges you by your looks then to be honest you don’t really need to keep those people in your life.  You should want to be healthier for you because it makes you feel better, because it will add years to your life, because it is what YOU want to do.  Not what others say you should do.

Instead of doing things to make other people like you, try doing things that make you like you.  At the end of the day if you ask yourself do you like you, you can say yes.