Labels

" I can't run"
" I've always been big"
" I'm big boned"
" I have no self discipline"
" I'm too unfit"
Or the big one......

What about some others?

" There's no point, I don't matter."
" I'm too ugly"
" I'll just fail...I'm a failure"
" I've had 1,2,3,4 etc kids"
" I can't do it."

and one I've heard..." I'm bad at maths , I can't count calories."

Everything you say about yourself, to yourself, is a label. And labels are what we use to define things, in this case, ourselves.

Where do we get these labels?  Usually from someone else.  It could be what you heard when you were growing up, or from friends or colleagues or from that complete cow in grade 7 who thought she was it and a bit.  It could be from what we see in all sorts of media.

These labels shape who we are to a large degree.  What we think about ourselves is what we become. How many times have we used the I'm a chocoholic/hormonal line to eat our bodyweight in chocolate?

Here's a new thought.... ALL LABELS ARE EXCUSES!

Every single thing you say about yourself is an excuse.
 I can't lose weight because my whole family is big/ I'm big boned.  RUBBISH. Whether due to cultural reasons or otherwise, just because your whole family is big doesn't mean you can't eat and live healthily and just SEE how much is 'genetic' bigness.
And as for big boned?

I can't run, I'm not a runner.  RUBBISH.  Got 2 legs and a heartbeat?  Hell, you don't even need two legs!

I have no self discipline.....well thats a CHOICE you make.  Why is saying NO so hard?

I'm too unfit.....RUBBISH.  Everyone starts somewhere....the important thing is to just get up and DO IT!

I've had kids....well so what?  So have I!  And I'm down to my marriage weight PRE children.  Children are precious, they do not deserve to be the excuse for your extra few kilos.

What about the others?  The soul destroying ones. The ones that crush your spirit and leave a stain on your mind.  Too ugly.  Useless. Failure. Pointless.  Well I ask you...in whose opinion?  And who the hell are they to pass such judgement?  Are they perfection personified?  It's just another form of insidious bullying that sinks in deep to the bone and that you perpetuate in yourself, whenever you think to try something new.  And it is a hard hard job to rid yourself of that stain and to be honest, I still have the shadows of those stains myself that sap away my confidence and power.


But you know what I like about labels?

LABELS CAN BE REMOVED AND CHANGED!

There is noone else but YOU. You are not your mother, father, sister, brother, school friend, teacher, magazine, TV show, school mums, or anyone else who has said something to create your definition of you. You are YOU and noone else.  So why not make your own definition?

I am STRONG!

I am HEALTHY!

I am DETERMINED!

I CAN DO IT!

It takes time to change labels.  Some labels are extra sticky and take a lot of concentrated effort to peel off and replace. But remember you are what you THINK you are.  So why not be awesome instead?  Why not have people say to you " WOW!"  Make them sit up and take notice! 

BECAUSE

'Nuff said ;)

 

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