Progress, Not Perfection

One of the ways I used to get in my own way was having an all or nothing attitude when it comes to making changes. I did it for years with smoking, I would quit for awhile, have a cigarette in a moment of weakness, and instead of just chalking it up as a one time mistake, I would just tell myself I failed, and go back to smoking. Same thing with meditation, and using positive affirmations. It's all or nothing.
A while ago, when I first started meditating I remember one of guided meditations I did said it was natural to have thoughts come creeping in, and to just let them float away, and not to judge them. For some reason, that really helped me. It allowed me to stop getting pissed at myself if my mind wanders. Some days it doesn't at all, and some days it wanders the whole time. Instead of berating myself, and using it as an excuse to just give up, I just figure, well I tried, and it didn't hurt anything. As a matter of fact, I still feel the benefit even on days when I never calmed my mind.
This has helped me start some positive affirmations that work for me right now. For right now, I am practicing the no judgment rule in regard to my body. I don't know when, if ever I will truly feel like I can look at myself and be like "what an awesome bod" It's what I hope to achieve, but it's way down the road. So, for right now I am working on other positive affirmations like every morning before I even open my eyes, I tell myself several times that Today is going to be amazing! I also remind myself that I want to be the change I want to see, so I need to smile at people, and do my best to spread good vibes into the world. And today, I just looked at myself in the mirror, and worked on having no thoughts or judgments, just taking my body for what it is, and also appreciating all that it can do after all I've put it through.
It's a start, and it's better than nothing. They always say relationships are work, so why should the relationship with ourselves be any different? It feels good to be taking baby steps toward body acceptance, instead of sitting on the sidelines resigned to a life of self loathing.
I keep thinking of the expression progress, not perfection.
There are a million books, and a million people explaining how to love yourself, how to love the skin your in, however they word it. But there is not just one way, and we all have our own demons to overcome. It seems like we just want someone to tell us how to do everything. And sometimes we have to find what works for us, and it might be different than everyone else you know. That's a good thing, it's important to be an individual.