I Never Say The "F" Word
I never say the “f” word, I just can’t. I know it’s just a word, and trust me I have had many people try to get the “f” bomb out of me, but I will absolutely not let it come out of my mouth. You all know which “f” word I am talking about of course...fat. Not the other “f” bomb, I let that fly now and then just for fun.
Being in the health and fitness industry for so many years, I am very accustomed to using words that will motivate people, not make them feel bad. When referring to someone’s body, I will most likely say, you are not at your ideal weight or you are not at your healthy weight. There are so many different ways to say the same thing and be encouraging and motivating to people that are not at their ideal weight or have a tough time losing weight.
Fat, is not one of them.
Now I know many of you out there will say that to get people or yourself to make a real change, you need to be real with them and give some tough love. Being nice about things and beating around the bush is not going to get the job done, right? I don’t necessarily agree. I do believe sometimes you have to tell it like it is and I am all about tough love, but I believe that words really matter. If we are talking about yourself, you know you more than anybody and maybe that is how you motivate yourself and I can’t argue that. For me though, I choose to highlight the good stuff about an individual and then build on it. I am not saying I let up on them or let them off the hook from reaching the goals that they really want, (I can be relentless, over-motivating or as some see it quite annoying about you staying the course), but I will always do it by highlighting how amazing you are right now.
You are probably wondering what sparked this conversation. Well, I went to a party recently where one of the young ladies had recently lost a ton of weight and was so happy with her new body and health. It was so cool to see, she couldn’t believe how great she felt and wanted to share it with the world and help as many people as possible. The only thing is - she kept telling me about all the people in her life, (son, friend, brother, etc.) that won’t do anything, are so unhealthy and unable to be motivated. She told me that she tells them they are fat and killing themselves with their lifestyles and they still won’t do anything to make a change.
So where do I begin. First off, I want to say that I truly believe her heart is in the right place and she just doesn’t know the right words to say to get the people she loves to feel as good as she does. Well, in my humble opinion and from many years of working with clients, I’ve found out a few things you may want to take into consideration when you are trying to motivate others in your life.
They have to be ready and they have to want it themselves.
They have to admit that they may need some help or someone else to motivate them and keep them on track.
Letting them know you are there if they need you is the absolute best thing you can do.
Be the example. Live it, breathe it, and let others see how wonderful it is to look and feel healthy.
Words matter, they truly do, and there are many ways to motivate others and still not tear them down.
Most importantly, love them unconditionally and accept where they are on their journey.
I hope this helps you just a little bit and I truly hope you see all the beautiful things about every individual, in so many unique packages. Go rock your awesome beauty in your way.
