25. Shirtless Therapy, Body Shame and Skin Surgery

Feeling Full

Episode Summary

In this episode, Mordechai talks about the decision to have plastic surgery and the journey from his initial consideration to his post-surgery life.

Highlights

• About 5 years ago was the first time Mordechai decided that he wanted to have surgery.
• He visited 10 surgeons and decided something did not feel right. It felt like he was hiding something.
• He decided not to have the surgery.
• A year and a half ago he considered it for a second time and had the surgery.
• At a retreat in Costa Rica, he was hot but didn’t want to remove his shirt in front of people at the event.
• As a kid, Mordechai was bullied and picked on because of his weight.
• Mordechai shared with the group at the retreat that he had wanted to lose weight most of his life and now that he had, he still felt bad about himself.
• He wanted to build something and be financially successful. He achieved both of those things but realized that it was more about the acceptance of others.
• He learned that he needed to accept himself.
• He removed his shirt in front of the entire group while telling his story and sharing how he felt. It was a pivotal moment.
• He finally realized how great it felt to be unapologetically himself.
• He made it a point to remove his shirt after that and it was still hard, but it began to feel more comfortable.
• Have you ever had a moment where you stopped worrying about measuring up to society and you were your authentic self?
• He came across other men who were reluctant to remove their shirts.
• A few years later he decided it was time to have the surgery. He didn't feel he was running away from the skin but towards his true self.
• After interviewing a number of doctors, he realized that many of the doctors were not aligned with his needs.
• Mordechai struggled with scheduling the surgery. He worried about what it meant about him as a man and how he would be perceived.
• Letting his friends in and telling them about his surgery was a big part of the healing process.
• Now that he has shared about the surgeries, he has more people speaking with him about it.
• If you do it for the right reasons then you will probably have a great result.