The physical work of taking care of your body is tough.

That’s why most people struggle to lose weight and keep it off. It’s why commercial gyms expect only 10% of their members to use their facilities. Making real changes requires consistency and discipline. Two concepts that have almost become offensive to bring up and expect from people. We’re living in a culture today that has swung to an extreme where everything goes and accountability is considered shaming.

As if having the discipline required to changing you body and health wasn’t hard enough, there is another factor that is stacked against you.

Judgement from others.

Your friends and family are going to laugh at you. They are going to make comments to and about you. They will exaggerate your efforts and spin them to try and make YOU look like a freak.

“You only eat salad don’t you?” “Oh, I forgot, that’s not on your diet.” “C’mon, one cookie isn’t going to KILL you.” “You can have a piece of cake, you’re skinny.”

Do they say these things because they are evil? Of course not. At the root of it, their judgement and comments about you are usually a reflection of their own frustrations and disappointment in themselves. Often your friends and family have tried to do what you’re doing, and possibly not been successful at it. Or possibly they have never mustered the will power to try to do what you’re doing and they are jealous. Us humans are flawed people, present company included. And for whatever reason sometimes when we see someone who we feel is doing something “better” than us, we react by trying to bring them down to our level instead of praising them for their accomplishments. Typically it’s driven by our own insecurities in ourselves. Maybe we don’t have the willpower to pass up dessert even though we want to, so we make comments about the person who does gather the strength to say “no thanks”.

Watch how this plays out in your daily life. Tune in and notice when others make these types of comments and be aware of the natural tendency to “jab” instead of praise.

If you are on your own journey that requires the discipline that doesn’t come easy and makes others squirm because they wish they had it, be a positive influence.

Praise others when you have the chance.

Be on the lookout for opportunities to give people a kind word of encouragement and congrats. It will come back to you eventually.

Be patient in the meantime and know that those comments that come your way aren’t because you’re doing something wrong. Quite the opposite.

Let them fuel you to keep going,

AND NEVER QUIT.