Comments on: Do you say "only" a lot?

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:09:39 +0000

I absolutely LOVE this post. I am definitely going to try to OWN my successes instead of using the word ONLY. You are so right – we need to be proud of what we have accomplished instead of always thinking that we should have done more. Thanks for the reminder!!

By: kilax

kilax — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:47:10 +0000

I still do call my mom! Hee hee!

I’ve noticed I do say only, but as in “I only had to run 4 miles today. Yay!” In comparison to running 10. I don’t mind admitting, I am super proud of myself, and think it’s great anytime I can fit a workout in! :)

Great post!

By: scale junkie

scale junkie — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:29:05 +0000

Love the positive self talk message. I give that message to others so often that its stopped me from saying it to myself.

By: Debra Graybeal

Debra Graybeal — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:53:24 +0000

Great post! I’m guilty of this too. Thanks for the encouragement!

By: Rollercoaster

Rollercoaster — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:48:41 +0000

I haven’t done the “only” thing in a long time. It’s been a long process to get out of that habit. I do, however, compare myself to others a lot. And it is very unfair to myself.

I think comparing myself to others (which, like I said, I do ALL the time) is dangerous. I always believe someone else is doing it better than me. The fact is, they may be doing it better than me, but why should that affect me?

This happens a lot when looking at someone who doesn’t have a problem with food. I might look at them push away from their favorite food because they are full and wonder with longing why I can’t do that all the time. The fact is, I just can’t. Not right now. Someday I might be able to, after I work through this process for a while, and I sure will enjoy it when it happens. But it’s unfair to me to compare myself with that right now. I’ll just have to be happy with being able to push my favorite food away when I am hungry sometimes.

The fact is, someone will always be better at everything than I am. I could downplay my achievements in comparison to them. But I really should only be comparing myself to myself and basing my success on that.

Great question, Roni. It really made me think :)

By: Andrea@WellnessNotes

Andrea@WellnessNotes — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:35:49 +0000

Great post. I think it comes all down to treating yourself as well as you treat the people who are important in your life. Would you ever say to a friend that he/she ran “only” four miles? Probably not. Don’t you celebrate every ounce your friends are losing? Don’t you acknowledge them for every healthy choice they make? And aren’t you genuinely proud of them? It’s about time we treat ourselves as well as we treat others in our lives! Thanks for the great reminder to acknowledge what we accomplish and to be proud of ourselves!

By: Laura Jane

Laura Jane — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:29:43 +0000

Thanks for pointing this out. I hadn’t really thought about it, but it’s so true. I’m definitely guilty of this. I think sometimes I think (subconsciously) that by saying things like “only” and by undermining my accomplishments, it will make me work harder. Like I’m afraid to own a true accomplishment, however major or minor, for fear I will accept that as enough and not push myself further. In fact, the opposite is true. The more major and minor accomplishments I truly own and celebrate, the more wonderful it feels, and the harder I want to work to create even more accomplishments!
As always, thanks so much for your thoughtful and inspiring post!

By: roni

roni — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:03:15 +0000

Ahhh I had to hide it! LOL check the last FAQ. :)

By: sraikh

sraikh — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:52:32 +0000

Ido this alot.. I am walking at 3.8-4.2 pace and I look at my neighbour and she has been doing a 8.0 at 6% incline for the past hour and I feel mine’s nothing compared to her’s.

Why do we do that?

PS: I have been trying to find your email address and cant. :)

By: KK @ Running Through Life

KK @ Running Through Life — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:54:34 +0000

Guilty as charged. Yep, I say only a lot. Thanks for the reminder to own my successes and achievements! After all, they are MINE and I DID WORK FOR THEM!!!