A couple months ago I received a little parting gift from one of our clients who had been with us for many weeks. She gave me a pink mug that had the following words on it: “Girlfriend’s Rule: When one gets dessert, we ALL get dessert!” I have since spent some time thinking about this. Being a girl myself, I know all too well how true that saying really is. Whenever I have politely refused dessert while my friends are all eating it, I almost always get attacked by the other girls, as if I have done something terribly wrong. The same is often true in other aspects of life. Whether they realize it or not, people often try to hold us back. The truth is that misery loves company. When I choose not to eat something unhealthy when everyone else is, or when I choose to go exercise when no one else wants to, it makes others accountable for their own actions. If they are not living the way they want to, this can make them feel guilty which is why they then try to get me to also eat the (fill in the blank calorie-laden food) or try to get me not to exercise.
The key to success is not letting others hold you down. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. You can be a good example of healthy living to your friends and family. Your friends may show some resentment at first, but hopefully they will soon let down their guard and join you. When you have the support of others, it significantly helps you stick to your goals. However, even if your friends and family don’t support you, be firm and confident in your goals and don’t let anyone deter you from achieving that which you want to achieve.
More often than not, it is not others that hold us back from accomplishing our goals. It is our self. We are often our own worst enemy, our hardest critic. Maybe we are never happy with what we accomplish and think that it is never enough; or we constantly criticize ourselves in everything that we do. Whatever the form of self-criticism may be, it only hurts our progression. The key to overcoming our own negativity is to replace the negative with positive. If you find yourself criticizing yourself in your head (or out loud), immediately stop and find something positive to replace it with. Even if you don’t believe it at the time, say it anyway. I call this “faking it till you make it”. It has been proven that when you smile, or when you compliment yourself, it can’t help but raise your mood a little. Repeat the positive saying over and over again. It gets you out of the rut of self criticism and loathing.
Lastly, fill your life with positivity—It will help push out the negative thoughts. Make a dream board of your goals and aspirations. Post positive sayings and inspirational art around your room and your house. Make a gratitude journal where you write three things daily that you were grateful for that day. Whenever you look in the mirror, compliment yourself. Get out and serve others. Most importantly, set goals and make a plan to accomplish them. Don’t get discouraged when you mess up, but just get right back on track. You don’t have to be perfect to accomplish your goals; you just have to be moving in the right direction. With progression comes true happiness and life satisfaction. You can do it!