Throughout this journey, my emotions and self perception have gone up and down. Some days I'm happy with my results so far. I feel the difference in my body and how my clothes fit. Other days, all I can see is how much further I have to go and how big I still am.
In the midst of one of these down days, I ran into somebody that I hadn't seen in a while and she told me I was looking good. The next day, somebody else mentioned that the weight loss really showed.
Words have an amazing amount of power. Words can uplift a person or destroy a person. I still remember being pulled aside by a teacher in eleventh grade (around 15 years ago) and being told I was exceptionally good at math. I also remember being on a school bus in second grade and the first time I was ever called ugly.
On hearing those words, I felt great. The journey is my own and I'm doing it for myself, but it sure doesn't hurt when other people notice. In a moment when I was feeling a little down, those words helped to bring me up and give me strength to keep going.
So, my challenge for you today is to give somebody a compliment. Make it a true and sincere one. It doesn't have to be related to weight loss. You could tell somebody that they have great fashion sense or that they do a good job at work. Tell them their smile is stunning or they inspired you to take up running. The choices are endless, but there's one thing you will accomplish by doing it. It will make them feel great.
When I like something about someone I tell them. I'm free with the compliments as long as they're sincere, and sometimes I actually see the lift in someone's mood when they receive accolades.
ReplyDeleteI love how I feel when someone compliments me so if someone has an attribute, I agree - tell them about it. You never know how much it could mean to them.