"Always strive for progress, not for perfection".
I heard this quote for the first time earlier this week and it's one of the few which has stuck with me.
It was shared with me by an inspirational Hervey Bay woman, Natalie Hicks, who lost an incredible 60kg in 18 months.
Natalie wasn't trying to achieve the "perfect body".
Instead, she was trying to achieve a healthy life where she was happy within herself.
While speaking with Natalie, she mentioned to me how social media played a huge role in influencing youths to be "perfect".
On social platforms including Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat we're blinded by the image which is in front of us and forget things like filters, camera angles and photo shop exist.
We see these images of women with perfectly toned bodies with gorgeous clear, sun-kissed skin and perfect teeth while looking at ourselves and seeing the exact opposite.
It's as if somebody has put a huge magnifying glass over what we consider "problem areas" for all the world to see.
In reality, these "imperfections" are only noticed by the person themselves.
The same goes for men too.
The thing is, a person's version of "perfect" will always be different to another.
While you're looking at yourself and thinking "I wish I looked like that", someone is looking at you with pure adoration thinking the exact same thing.
Remember, perfection is impossible to achieve.
Instead, hold your head high, put your shoulders back and be the best version of yourself because you don't need a filter if you have confidence.
