If you don’t turn up to work for a week without an explanation, you’ll be in trouble, right?
There will be phone calls asking for explanations, warnings, maybe even dismissals.
But what happens if you don’t attend your regular weekly sessions at the gym? Or what happens if you raid IGA at 9pm for, well, I don’t want to give you any ideas?
Fact is no one holds you accountable, other than yourself. You’re the boss of your health – the good decisions and the not so good. No one will reprimand you, apart from maybe a caring partner. Even I won’t reprimand you. If you try to feed me a chocolate bar then, sure, I’ll get mad but it’s not my responsibility to tell you off for your choices.
This is all about internal responsibility. The internal checks and voices that whisper to us at the supermarket as we wheel that trolley straight past the biscuit aisle. Then, we’re also responsible for our positive outcomes.
I’m not saying most people can do this all on their own. It takes a village to cope with most aspects of our lives whether that’s raising children, coping with work pressure, or needing more than one sounding board to get through life’s challenges.
If your village is going to criticise you for changing your diet or lifestyle though, the village may be due for some renovations.
As they say, hang out with five smokers and you’ll become the sixth. If you hang out with people who aren’t like-minded so you’re always the odd one out, you’re going to be more vulnerable to being worn down into having the bowl of fries, drinking for everyone in the room and, yes, why not add in a dessert?
Our online community is often the only forum our members can find a friendly word of support or understanding. We’re happy to be here for you but still urge you to find like-minded people in your community, whether that’s professionally or personally.
Just as we can all learn to pretend our soda water is vodka or that we’re not eating the pasta because of food intolerances, we’d all prefer to be in company where we’re welcomed for our choices whether they’re different or not.
Peer pressure is a major downer and affects that personal, internal responsibility that’s such a crucial part of change and maintenance. So, keep an eye on that village and a hand on your own heart.
