Although staying at home and practicing physical distancing can be incredibly dull, I was able to do something fun with my daughter last week. I introduced her to Michael J. Fox's 80s classic "Back to the Future." It was awesome.
Actually, I lied ... She was bored and I was crushed that she didn't share my excitement...
However, she was amazed at how the smallest of things could change the rest of history so dramatically. This lead to us having a great little talk about actions and consequences. It's an IMPORTANT subject for so many reasons. But today, I'd like to narrow it down to how the actions and consequences of keeping up (or not) with a fitness and wellness lifestyle affect your self-esteem and self-worth!
Plus, I'll give you a bit of empowering and straightforward advice for putting it into action, too.
First: SELF-WORTH … It fuels the essence of our lives and who we are! It shapes our view on how important and valuable you are in the scheme of things. And also how WORTHY we are of being respected and having a life worth living.
"Self-worth" is distinctive from the role of self-esteem in that it is much more critical to our survival and overall contentment with ourselves.
For example:
Let's assume, like most of the self-isolating population, that you ordered a few clothes online. One item is a shirt you really liked. When that shirt arrives, you try it on and realize you don't like how your arms look in it. Or maybe it presses too tightly around your midsection. You may already know your self-esteem issues and that you are emotionally sensitive to these areas – i.e., they don't make you feel confident.
SELF-WORTH, however, affords you the ability to recognize and value the fact that you are significantly MORE than the size of your arms or condition of your midsection. Not only that, but self-worth can also instill a deep desire for personal improvement and success.
It can ignite the need to make definitive changes – because you know you are not a "finished" product, but a living, ever-evolving person WORTHY of flexing your emotional muscles and feeling your very best!
Similarly, self-worth can give you the impetus to set boundaries for how others are allowed to treat you. It can guide you on whether or not you pursue a promotion or any other goal you desire because it's a goal you deed worthy of your attainment!
Remember Marty McFly (Michael J's character in Back To The Future)? He wouldn't have ever been born had his father, George McFly (played by Crispin Glover), hadn't felt that Lorraine Baines (played by Lea Thompson) was worth fighting and possibly getting killed by that bully a-hole Biff Tannen (played by Thomas F. Wilson).
How do we now take what we've learned from this bit of cinematic Americana and apply it to our own lives? We start with one of my FAVORITE practices for building self-worth AND setting it to action:
Don't restrain yourself creatively. Just follow the steps I've outlined and let your imagination soar.
1. Imagine that, precisely 12 months from today, you and I are having a heart-to-heart …
Between that future date and now, you have lived the most amazingly satisfying year EVER. Having stayed on track with your current goals, what might you imagine your life, health, and body would look like? What exact goals would you have reached? Take a moment to evaluate them thoroughly. Now, write them down.
2. Next, imagine how you might feel like living that successfully … are you energetic or lethargic ... what activities fill your days? Are you more confident? How do you behave when out with friends? Or maybe you're in a relationship? Write all your answers down!
3. Once you're completely clear on how your 12-month goals look and feel, consider the kind of DECISIONS your new self would be making 12 months from today. What are they? How is your time allocated? How often do you exercise? What about your nutrition? Write down the details! :-)
4. And here's the last but most crucial step, start doing everything that your future self is doing now. WHY WAIT?!? You've got the "cheat sheet" to your success in the palm of your hand. No need to delay making those decisions! The reality is this; if you want a new and better future, you've got to make new and better choices TODAY.
Personify the future person you've envisioned becoming, and live as that improved version of you TODAY! Live your life AS IF you've already obtained your goals!
When you spend your days living like the person who's already achieved what you want, you'll be amazed how quickly the rewards materialize.
And finally, as I close out this post, remember –– if you need help with reaching your goals and creating a personalized action plan to get there, let me know. Helping you is unquestionably one of my absolute FAVORITE things to do. Just shoot me an email!
Now make it a fantastic future-self kind of day, and make sure you keep moving toward a better you!
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