Thursday, June 3, 2010

Personal Mantra

Be best person you can be without sacrificing your own happiness.

6 comments:

apple said...

what do you do if, as a libra, your happiness is dependent on the happiness of others around you? ;)

Unknown said...

Ha! I don't always succeed is what. But I try.

Anonymous said...

I hope you never feel pressured to explain your own transformation in great detail to others. Your personal reflections on how you achieved success would make for interesting reading but would not necessarily help anyone else find their own pathway. Your story might even discourage some people who have far more complex health issues (I'm including mental health), for example, if they view it as some kind of road map to follow.

We each have access to different resources, both internal and external. We each have different hindrances, both internal and external.

Some people may require support or education or therapy or health care that is simply not universally available in our culture, at this time.

That doesn't mean weight loss and improved health management is impossible, but we should not assume there is a level playing field. One should not assume: "if I can do it, anyone can." That represents a hurtful and arrogant belief system, in my view, one that discounts the varieties of individual suffering and struggle. It is an attitude that alienates people from one another, discourages us from sharing power, and keeps us isolated from sources of potential assistance.

On the other hand, it is important to recognize the social resources that can increase the liklihood for positive personal transformation. I won't go into those, here, suffice to say that what our culture needs is not more individual willpower but more willingness to share power with our fellow human beings.

As always, I admire your accomplishments and your willingness to take risks, and to share.

-Robin

Unknown said...

Thanks Robin, it is so varied and complex. My weight loss had two distict phases. The first, put your head down and run basically. Or walk in my case and then the second was similar but for different reasons.
The context around both times is so vastly different that it's hard for me to imagine I was the same person.
And you are right, there is not a level playing field. but I do think that everyone is capable of treating themselves well. It's just not as easy for some as it is others. For whatever the reason.

Ex Yo-Yo Dieter Debbie said...

Thanks for your personal mantra, Sarah.

Once again, I don't want you feel pressured by my questions...say whatever you like about what works for you, or you don't have to say anything. It's your blog, after all!

I simply feel that for someone to change their lifestyle so successfully, and key word here for me, - permanently - there must be an ongoing inner dialogue that is vastly different than what it was for you when you were 345.

If you're okay with sharing it, I am very interested to hear what you have to say...if you don't want to talk about it, that's definitely okay, too!

Thanks again!
Debbie

Kenlie said...

I try to live with the same mantra..;)