Friday, July 22, 2011

Rebel With or Without a Cause?

I have a closet rebel living inside me.  I was a good kid, you know the type, plays by the rules, does her homework, boring.  Of course it’s much more exciting to be a rebel.   And lately there’s a rebel that’s been sticking her nose in the way of my two goals, to become a published author and to get to my wedding weight.  Doesn’t she want to be a thin, published rebel?
As I get closer to my goals, it gets harder and I have to  command myself to do a lot of things my little rebel would rather not.  Like...
I have to write each day, and 1000 words.  
I have to exercise.  
I have to drink lots of water.
I have to stay away from empty carbs. 
But in reading Linda Spangle’s 100 Days of Weight Loss I found out that when I say those three little words  “I have to”  I am inviting in my rebel, who shows up and wants to do the opposite.  
It’s easy to recognize my rebel.  She's the one that wants to have a Carmel Frappacino instead of decaf coffee with skim milk.  The one that wants to check emails instead of writing.  The one that wants to watch The Biggest Loser instead of exercising.
So how do I deal with the rebel?  I get tough.  I bully her.  I chastise her.  But lately that hasn’t been working.  She digs in her heels.  Then I try and be nicer, offer rewards.  But she is a rebel and when I say apple she says pie. 
Spangle offers a different approach, change the words.   Instead of I have, I choose to.
Seems small but my warped rebel brain couldn’t argue too much with this.
Spangle says, “I choose to puts you in charge and affirms that you want to see results. It eliminates the harsh, parental self-talk that makes you feel oppressed or rebellious.
So I intend to try it out... 
I choose to write 1000 words first.
I choose to walk 45minutes on the treadmill.
I choose to submit my short story to three suitable publications.
So what do you choose to do with your rebel?

5 comments:

  1. Oooh, excellent post. I totally agree with Spangle. Just hearing the words "I have to..." in my head gets my hackles up.

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  2. Hi Suzanne!

    Great blog, and I have to agree! Anytime I say "I have to..." my inner rebel finds a way to stand in my way! I have been working on "I want/choose to..." and I find I get better results!

    This week: "I choose to drink more water everyday!" :)

    ~Jane~

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  3. Excellent post. It's all about perspective. I used to tell myself, as I packed my gym bag, "I choose to workout today. No one is making me. I WANT to go." On those days, I had better workouts than on the days I dragged myself in and muttered the entire time.

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  4. Lu/Grace, so glad to hear I'm not the only one. LOL

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  5. Jane and Emily, thanks for the comments, I will use the "I want to" as well, just to keep my rebel for getting wise.

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