Growing up I was a plump child; of course, that’s not what the other kids would call it. This was caused by my love for food and not knowing the effect that too much of it can have. Insecurities began to mount but not as much as when I entered secondary school. I didn’t worry as much because my mother assured me that my chubbiness was mere baby fat and would wear off in my teenage days.
I remember one classroom incident when a fat joke was directed at me for a reason I know not till this day. Crocodile tears flowed from my eyes and got worse as my classmates laughed in sync. This made me want to go all out to shed the unwanted weight. At that point, I was a victim of the influence of peer pressure as I tried to be accepted amongst my mates.
By going all out, I practically starved myself as I deprived myself of eating a lot of food. As time passed, I became as lean as a number 2 pencil. I was happy with myself, but the new issue was that I was too skinny. I didn’t get the compliments I was expecting from my new physique, but it was an upgrade seeing as I didn’t cry about the matter anymore.
This taught me a valuable lesson: You Cannot Please Society.
“You can’t please everyone. When you’re too focused on living up to other people’s standards, you aren’t spending enough time on your own. Some people may whisper, complain and judge. But for the most part, it’s all in your head. People care less about your actions than you think. Why? They have their own problems!”
- Kris Carr (Best-selling author)
Losing the weight made working out in the gym easier than when I was fleshy. Right now, I’ve added a slight amount of mass, and I eat more than I ever did. It’s not that much of a bother because I engage in sporting activities a lot, I know the calories will burn, and I also see it as making up for lost time.
Being big, I felt I wasn’t good enough for my mates which can be a hard pill to swallow. As soon as I realized that pleasing everyone was an impossibility, I began working towards living my life in a way that makes me happy irrespective of what people had to say. Now, I can boldly say that my decisions don’t solely depend on ratification from others.
About the Writer: Osaze Aruede is an undergraduate of the American University of Nigeria; currently studying Communication and Multimedia Design. His interests and hobbies including eating, sleeping, listening to music and watching television series, just to name a few. The dream is to make the NBA, the plan is to have a lasting and noble career, and the goal is to end up in the Hall of Fame and in the conversation of one of the games GOATs (Greatest of All Time). They don’t want to see that happen, so he has to make it happen!
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