Hello my fellow cyclists, or soon to be riders. I have had a wonderful start to this year. I am looking forward to the mountain bike season. My days recently have been filled with many things from birthdays, to trail rides with friends, or just spending the cold days in the snow with my brother. I have decided to make this post about self image.
I know for some people self image means a lot. From a young age we are told to be a certain way, and act a certain way. As a 16 year old girl in high school the idea of self image comes up a lot. I will be honest in saying I have struggled with it, but then again who hasn’t. The reason I bring this is up is because I want people to know that no matter what you don’t need the validation of others. As a little girl I was told by some people that biking is a boys sport, and that it is silly for a girl to do. To some people that might have made them want to stop cycling all together, but for me it just made my will to bike even stronger. I was a competitive kid. I wanted to show those boys in my class that I did not care what they said. My view on their silly teasing was that one day I will be a great biker, so they will see that not only boy’s can ride a bike . My self image was not the best. Some days I would feel bad about the way I looked. I realized that everyone feels a bit bad about themselves. It is normal, but why is it normal? People have the idea that they want to look or be better, but not for themselves. The need to be validated by others is a strong will in humans. In the act of seeking validation people forget the good things about themselves. I wanted to write this to tell people that they don’t need the validation from others. Every person is amazing. The fact that people get up, and go to a job or school is amazing. You are priceless, and every part of you is something worth loving. It has taken me a while to figure this all out. My biking has helped me gain a positive self image. If you feel like you want to change something then do it, but do it for you. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t. Never let anyone get in the way of something you love, just because you may be different. Don’t be afraid to do something, because of someone else who doesn’t even matter in the long run. Do what you love, and love yourself. Thank you to everyone that has made me who I am, and who have helped me realize my potential.
Until next time. I am over the barriers and through the woods.
The Muddy Girl 