Which is worse;
Saying we appreciate or desire to have a certain trait, or being completely uninterested in that very same trait?
We all know the type -
The person who is diligent about their eating habits.
The person who never misses a workout or a day of work.
The one who seems to always be locked in and has laser focus.
We can say we value the traits of self-restraint, self-control, and self-discipline, but we usually seem to gravitate towards those who seem to be less in control, less disciplined, and even more flawed.
Then we sit and talk about the ones with the traits that we say we value as if they’re gifted, that it's in their genes, or they're some "exception to the rule" (BTW - what "rule" would that be, exactly?) OR that they're odd or something is wrong with them.
We may mock, try to peer pressure, or altogether dismiss, those with great self-control or self-discipline and then complain about how we can’t get our own sh*t together.
If I’ve seen this scenario play out once, I’ve seen it a thousand times.
So what separates the persistent kind of person mentioned above from everyone else?
They did not discover some magical secret, routine, strategy, life hack, or technique.
No, it's really much simpler than that.
They realized, on some level, the psychological effect of their choice of words. They realized that what they say to themselves about themselves - and believe - matters.
The words we use filter into, and give shape to our thoughts and beliefs, which gives shape to our actions and our attitudes - our behavior.
The words we use gives rise to our thought processes and our perceptions.
Our words can enable us or hinder us.
Our choice of words creates our limits and our potential;
Our hopes and our fears;
Our doubts and our expectations.
Everything in our lives can be a result of our choice of words.
If you change what you say to yourself about yourself;
If you change the way you talk to yourself;
Everything, in time, changes.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I know."
Anybody can say they know. That's easy and requires zero effort. Just because we can say something does not mean we live it or even believe it - but we can convince ourselves that we do. Not until it is practiced and lived, is it really known.
If we say we value something but don’t practice it, much less believe it, then it’s only lip service.
Lip service never did anything for anyone.
Pic - An overlook in the Ozarks, by Grant Krasner
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