[00:00:00] Welcome to another episode of the So Here For It podcast. I am your host, Amy Mingin, and today I'm talking all about not being ready, but doing it anyway. I'm also going to be talking about how to be consistent so that when you look back at today, you're so proud that you started. So let's dive in.
First of all, I wanna tell you a story the other day, my friend Rhi, who is my brilliant photographer, I'll tag her down in the show notes for you. She held this incredible, incredible photo shoot for women, how many of us? There was maybe like 10 of us, and she wanted to celebrate the feminine body. And of course, how beautiful is it to have all sorts of shapes and sizes? So, you know, like the underwear brands that have the tiny size sixes all the way through to like the size 20, that that's the vibe, you know, right?
And I was one of the [00:01:00] people there who is in the size six to eight category, like I am a small, petite woman, and I hadn't recognized myself before. Like I recognized my size. I recognize my health, I recognize my confidence, and I'm more looking at the things that I do in life rather than looking at my physical body so much.
It's been such an interesting thing, 'cause if I reflect back to how it was prior to these years, like I would say I've, I've made a really big change in my mindset and how I feel about myself since turning 40. Probably this is a 40-year-old thing, so if you're in your twenties and thirties, this is what's coming and it's so exciting.
There's something about being in your forties and having this new level of love and acceptance of your body, and [00:02:00] there would've been a time where there's no freaking way I would've stood in front of a camera with a spotlight on different areas of my body that were highlighting things. There's no way I would've done it, but these days I'm happy to.
I'm happy to celebrate the body that I'm in. I'm happy with how much health I shine through. And when I got the photos back, I was like, you've edited these. She's like, no, I haven't. And I'm like, they're brilliant. They're absolutely brilliant. And I don't know about you, but if you start today and you have something to look back at, you're really happy that you started today.
Now there's a version of me who is postpartum, who looked in the mirror with a six week old baby, still very much proud of my body, with a really soft tummy. So anyone who has given birth knows about the soft tummy that you have until the [00:03:00] abs come back together and the uterus shrinks, right? I had the softest tummy and I was probably the heaviest I've ever been in my life.
And I remember feeling like a little bit of a down moment, being like, oh, you know, and then there there was this feeling inside of me that's like, if you don't like it, change it. And I wasn't necessarily talking about my body, I was talking about how I felt. Because at that stage I had babies to look after. I had a 3-year-old and I had a, you know, a newborn.
So the thing that I needed to do was actually look after myself. Was to make sure those kids were fed and played with, and we all got outside each day, and that my mental health was doing well. I think we lose sight of that. But there was something in me that was like, I had this visual of what my body would look like.
I had this visual of like, I'm gonna be so fit, I'm gonna look so healthy. That is my goal. From now on [00:04:00] I wanna be fit and healthy. So I've been working at it. That was 10 years ago. My daughter is 10 years old. And it doesn't mean that you have to work for 10 years to get the body of your dreams. That's not what I'm talking about.
But what I am talking about is I've taken lots of small steps every single day, sometimes no steps, sometimes several steps, but it's those versions of ourselves that we used to be, they are there for a reason. Those negative voices that we get sometimes, they're there for a reason. They're just showing us the way, we don't have to believe them, that they're the truth.
I want to be this shining light for you, that whatever you want is actually possible. So if you're in the space to do this, I actually wanted this particular podcast to be a creative visualization for you. Because never in my wildest dreams [00:05:00] did I ever think that I would end up modeling for my own website using body landscape photos, like I'm still baffled that this has happened.
I'm still surprised and I am in complete awe of myself that this is possible. If it's possible for me, it's possible for you. I also just wanna like say, I am talking about the human body right here, and how wonderful and dynamic no matter where you are in your cycle, in your journey of life, your body is wonderful.
It is the only body that you will ever get in this life. So let's make it a great one. Let's do as much as we possibly can to look after it. And so if you're in the position to, I'd like you to start taking some deep breaths. You don't necessarily have to close your eyes for this, but if you're in the position to close your eyes, just take five minutes, sit down and close your eyes.
If you're driving, obviously don't close your eyes, but if you're in the [00:06:00] position to sit down and close your eyes, I'd like you to close your eyes. If you're out walking and listening to this, you can do this while you're walking. Don't close your eyes. Keep them open. But imagine. This is an active imagination process.
Now talking about subconscious, our subconscious works with patterns, symbols, and also it works with pictures. So the more detailed you can get your picture through this, the better. If you struggle to get a picture, my suggestion is utilize a photo that you might have, utilize a picture that you've seen before, which might not have your face on it, but you could superimpose your face on it, or you just recognize the feeling in your body of what it would feel like while I'm talking. Okay. Not everyone is super visual, but I would like you to at least attempt to get a visualization.
So here we go. Take a deep breath in, [00:07:00] and out. And in. And out.
I want you to imagine you're in the early hours of the morning and you know sometimes your brain wakes up before your body. You're in that really beautiful dozing stage, and you take a stretch and you pull the covers back and you swing your legs out and your feet touch the floor. And you take a breath. And the first thought that goes through your head is, oh my gosh, I'm so excited for my life.
And you stand up. You go to the bathroom and you brush your teeth and you brush your hair and you wash your face and you look at yourself and you're like, I've done it. I'm so proud of myself. I have done it. And then you wander out to the kitchen and you make yourself a protein rich meal, and you drink some water and you're looking after yourself. You [00:08:00] meditate. You put on your favorite clothes. And you get to the point in your life where you are like, wow I really get to do this. You go for a walk, you do your yoga. Sometimes you lift weights. Sometimes you do other forms of exercise that you really enjoy. And you get to this point in your life where you're like, wow, this is amazing. And you start to notice more. You're noticing how you're feeling in your body. You're noticing the things around you and that natural beauty around you.
And because you're noticing this natural beauty, what gets reflected back to you is more beauty. And so every time you're looking in the mirror, you notice your beauty. Every time you look at somebody else, you notice that person's beauty. And it becomes a whole lot more beautiful in your world.
Now [00:09:00] come back into your body.
Just have a look around and appreciate. And then have a look at your hands and appreciate them. And next time you look in the mirror, appreciate yourself. There is something so, so tiny and simple that you could do today that is going to start you on the trajectory that you never thought you were ready for, but you're being called into.
There's no coincidence that you're listening to this today. There's no coincidence that you resonate with what I say about the body. There's no coincidence that deep down you actually do know that you're beautiful. That you are here to do really big things. And that perhaps somewhere along the line you just forgot, you only remembered the patterns that you'd learned from other people.
And so how this has shaped your world is something that really overtakes the rest of your life sometimes. I've been there. Definitely. Particularly in that late [00:10:00] luteal, like the time just before your period. That noise in your head can be really loud. But what if we started to make friends with that? What if we started to be kinder to ourselves? And what if we started to find some things that actually helped us become more ready?
Because you don't get ready by thinking your way through things, you, you get ready through finding out that you are competent. And then once you figure out that you're competent through action, you become confident. And so if you are currently unhappy with what you're looking at, like at in the mirror, if you're currently unhappy with what you're doing at work, if you're currently unhappy in your relationships, this applies to all of the above.
Let's apply it to money as well, because that's often a conversation I have with a whole lot of people. If you're not happy with where you're at, stop waiting to be ready to change. You're already [00:11:00] ready. The change comes through the action, then you get feedback, and then you can take action again, and it takes you being brave to do something different.
It takes you learning how to create a new skill set. This actually is a new skillset. You becoming beautiful is a new skillset. I actually believe that you're already beautiful, but it's about you learning to believe it. It's about you learning to decompress the stress that has been running through your body for such a long time.
Because this takes away who you are in your business, who you are as a mum, who you are as a wife, who you are as a partner, a sister, a daughter. I say that's enough. I say, it's time for you to come into your power. It's time for you to make the magic in the world that you are here to make.
And so, I'm gonna circle around to this is where [00:12:00] consistency comes from.
I looked back at that photo, like I looked at that photo and I was like, holy wow. But it isn't just because I dieted last week. It isn't just because I took a supplement once. It isn't just because I make a salad once a week. It's because I'm doing these small things every single day. I haven't felt comfortable in front of the camera until very recently, believe it or not, a natural born Leo Sun right here, didn't love the camera for such a long time because of that inner critic voice. But guess what I've done? I've made friends with it. That inner critic is so calm in comparison to how it used to be. It used to run the show for me. And if it's running the show for you, let's take baby steps together.
It's time to take your turn. Like it is your turn. It's your turn to shine. It's your turn to change. It's your turn to actually be the beautiful human who you [00:13:00] are. So if you would love help with this, please reach out to me. @catalystmindbody and @amymingin on social media, Instagram. Come chat with me. I'll put the links below.
Would love, absolutely love to invite you in. If there is anything to do with body image holding you back in your life, send me a message. I'll also put the link to my program down below. Catalyst Mindbody. It is like, it is the process. That's what I'm calling it. It is the process that helps you feel hotter at 40 than you did at 20.
Like seriously. That is the feedback that I get. It changes lives. It's time for this to get out there in a really, really big way. So if this has changed you today, reach out to me. If you know this is gonna change someone who is very near and dear to you, share it with them. Sharing is caring. Leave a five star review, subscribe. I would love that. And thank you so, so much for having me in your ears today. Big [00:14:00] gratitude to you and I will see you on the next episode.
