The Honest Truth About Lying to Yourself
Admit it: there are things you refuse to be honest with yourself about. Almost everyone does it, which can make you feel like it’s OK to keep ignoring these aspects of your life. How often do you rationalize with the thought “Everyone else does it, so I can too!” Sure, “everyone” else may do it. But as your mom would say: if everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you do it too? I sure hope not!
Here’s an example from my own life. If you’ve read my “about” page, you know that after a lifetime of being overweight, I was once in stellar physical shape, the fittest I’d ever been, and I’d lost over 80 pounds. Before that point, the only time I’d ever run was when my 7th-grade gym class was forced to submit to the humiliation of “running the mile” at the end of the year. But after I got serious about my physical fitness, I actually ran half marathons. PLURAL! And I loved it! Well, that’s not entirely true. I did then and will always despise the act of running while running. But I loved the way it calmed my racing thoughts, I loved watching my training stack and grow on itself, and I was so, so proud of myself.
OK. So there I was, fit, healthy, happy, and proud of myself. So imagine my chagrin after about 3 ½ years of being “Fit Jenna,” when I realized my pants kept getting tighter and tighter and my face bloatier and bloatier. I told myself that it was hormonal (I do indeed deal with a hormonal imbalance but, in this instance, it was just a nice excuse to pull out of my ever-tighter back pocket). I told myself it was OK that I’d started eating Fruit Loops and hunks of cheddar cheese for breakfast because damn it, I’d gone for a run that morning! I told myself it would go away, that it was no big deal. I told myself “yes, Jenna, you should have that third beer because you’re tired and stressed and doesn’t another nice, cold beer sound great?” I cried to myself “but what if you can never eat pizza again?! You’ve GOTTA eat pizza!” You name it, I rationalized it.
What I didn’t do, for another 3+ years, was actually take a good, hard look at my thinking, my behaviors, and my patterns. As a result of having previously lost weight and getting in shape, I knew exactly what it took to get back to the fitness level I wanted. But I didn’t take any serious steps toward it for quite some time, until recently. Finally, I decided enough was enough, and I began to face my own harsh truth(s):
If I truly wanted it, I needed to work hard for it -- maybe even harder than other people (given my hormonal issues)
A magic solution wasn’t going to fall into my lap and no, another 3/7/30-day detox wasn’t the answer
My hormones suck, yes, but I know from experience that they don’t stop me from getting in shape when I do the work
No, I couldn’t just lift weights for 10 minutes a week and see the results I wanted
And, here’s the biggie: there was nothing or no one else to blame for my backsliding except me
This quote from Joe Klass, author of Twelve Steps to Happiness, pretty much sums up how I felt about finally facing these truths for myself:
"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”
While my fitness story is certainly not unique, there are so many things, both big and small, that people tend to ignore because they’re afraid to face their truth. Do you want to stop taking tuba lessons and learn how to knit instead? Do you want to move to the suburbs but are afraid of what your friends will think? Do you actually enjoy spending time with your best friend? Do you actually hate the job you’re successful at? Are you in the wrong relationship?
If you know, deep down, that there’s something you’ve been avoiding, I’d love to help you get in touch with your truth and move forward with what you really want! Just reach out via the contact page and I’ll be in touch to help devise a plan to get you moving in the direction you want to go.
