Do you say “only” a lot?
“That’s great! I only managed 4 miles today.”
That was one of the comments I received after I posted about finishing the 10 mile race on Sunday. As soon as I read it I knew what the Question of the Week needed to be. I’m so guilty of this it’s not even funny and I know some of you are too. How many times have you uttered a phrase similar to this …
“I ONLY lost 1 pound this week.”
Every time I see that I want to say …
“WHAT?! You better own that loss! You WORKED for it!”
When we use words like “only”, “just”, and compare ourselves to others we undermine our own efforts. Think about what that original commenter did. She totally disregarded her 4 mile run. FOUR MILE RUN! A run, any run, should be celebrated. The fact that we get out of bed in the morning should be celebrated. Every time we chose an apple over chips OR make dinner instead of ordering in or go for a walk instead of plopping in the front of the TV OR when we stop eating when we’re full. ALL OF IT should be celebrated.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we need to call mom up every time we make a good choice but if WE don’t recognize our own efforts who will? Some may say it’s gloating, I don’t think so. I think it’s got everything to do with attitude. If you you don’t feel good about the choices you are making, if you aren’t proud of them then what motivation do you have to continue down a healthier path? Why bother?
Let’s rewrite our “only” comment to change it’s tone …
“That’s great! I ran 4 miles myself! Aren’t we AWESOME!”
Now, isn’t that better? There’s no need to undermine an amazing accomplishment like a 4 mile run! If you are being so kind to support someone and lift their spirits then do yourself a favor and lift yourself up as well. It’s not a competition, we are all in it together.
Okay, now it’s fess up time. Are you guilty of undermining your efforts? Do you sell yourself short? Do you say “only” a lot?
Originally published on RonisWeigh
