Watch your mouth
As you know, I'm big on choices.
They make you or break you.
You won't be surprised then—
Choices are a big part of my parenting strategy.
Whatever the day, whatever the activity, whatever the problem—
I always give two choices to my daughters.
They make their own decisions—
And they own their decisions.
I do this to set them up for lives of decisiveness and ownership.
Cecilia is my youngest— almost 4 and going on 14– ha!
I give her the same two choices every morning at school drop-off:
“Steps or elevator?”
On Wednesday, she made her typical choice:
"Steps! Exercise!"
…But then something atypical happened.
See, another Dad and daughter duo stood in the lobby with us.
They overheard the "choice exchange" between Cecilia and me,
And the Dad, turning to his daughter, said:
"We're taking the elevator because I am lazy."
Eek.
Not gonna lie, it was painful for me to hear this.
Worse, I watched the joy drain from his daughter's face.
Look, I get it, some days, you just don't have the steps in ya…
This actually isn't about the choice to take the elevator.
This is about a much, much more critical choice:
The choice to speak to yourself in a voice that builds you up—
Not breaks you down.
Your inner critic is already working overtime to hijack your thoughts—
Don't let that bad guy win.
Of the several thousand thoughts that you have per day,
The majority are repetitive and negative…
Unless you make the choice to change your voice—
To speak to yourself positively and powerfully.
Know that the words coming out of your mouth aren't just words—
They're your identity.
And your mood.
And your fuel.
Your words are efficacious—
They result in your health, habits, and, ultimately, your happiness.
Don't negate your wins… with your negative words.
The reality is—
You are not lazy, lost, stupid, ugly, old, failing, weak, worthless—
Whatever lie you tell yourself—
But you may be making a choice with your voice that makes you feel that way.
We're all guilty of it…
And, for you, it ends here.
Choose to speak to yourself positively this weekend—
Especially when you start with "I am".
It won't be easy at first, but, as with all hard things, it will be worth it.
Instead of putting yourself down, you'll pull yourself up…
Along with those around you.
No matter what this weekend throws at us,
Let's keep a positive mental attitude!
Joey
HEY—
Don't miss this. Our first-ever FWH Community Social happens on Zoom tomorrow (Sunday, June 4) at 8 pm EST.
It's not too late to RSVP.
Join us in FWH RISE and hit the "Yes, I'm going!" button to let me know I'll see you there.
