“Commitment is an exclusionary process” What does this mean?
Saying NO has HUGE power.
Too often in life we say YES to everything, over committing, over indulging ourselves and even saying YES to please other people.
At www.thebodycamp.com in Ibiza, we discuss boundaries with guests – they play an important part in our lives.
Without them, we would say YES to everything and feel powerless, leading to devastating effects.
During the holiday season, especially in winter, its important to remember that saying YES to many things, can lead to short term pleasure but long term discomfort, pain and long time consequences. We can say YES to many things in life and sometimes this can be a good thing – on certain occasions!
However saying NO can be very powerful too. When we say NO, we are remembering who’s important (you) and understand that people or external events have no real power over us….it’s how we think about the event or people’s words!
We always have the choice to say NO to anything in life, which we feel will not benefit us – especially in regards to our health.
There are many reasons that people are afraid of saying NO.…
- Fear of hurting someone’s feelings – about health related beliefs, like a better nutrition choice
- Fear of abandonment – and not “fitting in” with friends who might all want to go out drinking
- Fear of shame – of eating healthy in front of others, being seen as a health “nut” or people looking at you at the gym
- Fear of being seen as bad or selfish – about looking after yourself
Here’s some examples of what happens when we say YES too often….
- Saying YES to that extra alcoholic drink at a social event – can lead to worse decision making later!
- Saying YES to a second helping of food at the buffet or at a family gathering – can lead to more body fat and bad feelings! (A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips!)
- Saying YES to friends who wants you to go somewhere, instead of hitting the gym at night time!
Here’s some examples of what happens when NO can be used to powerful effect by you and others….
“NO, I do not want another large plate of food again thank you” (To say when the family are over feeding you at xmas!)
“NO, I am not gonna to buy more sweets to fill up my cupboards – I will buy fruit instead.”
“NO, I don’t mind if you think I am a “health freak” – just because I drink a Body Camp smoothie every day.”
Have a think about how many times you are saying NO – is it often enough to achieve your health goals?
Rick Parcell
Master Trainer