Telly tubby, funky but chunky, and the list of things we call or say to ourselves goes on.

We might have a little chuckle to ourselves, but there is definitely some truth to how we feel. Why do we talk to ourselves this way and why is it ok? It’s one thing to be realistic about where you are at, but self-loathing and harshness won’t help you long term in order to reach your goals.

You can always improve, you are not a tree and are therefore are never stuck. You are not destined to be any particular way, regardless of what you DNA test says. What you tell yourself, you will become, in some way shape or form whether you intended it to or not. If you are telling yourself you are hopeless, then you will be. If you tell yourself you are fat, then that is how you are always going to see yourself. So stop.

I regularly challenge my clients, asking them to give me three things about themselves that they like. Now, guess what they usually do? They answer me aesthetically! Not what sort of person they were, not how much they had helped others, not how they are determined, focused and driven. In addition, on top of all that, they generally can’t give me three things, only one.

That is the state, which a lot of us are in.

It is great and completely ideal if you have people around you to inspire you every day, to be better, to do better. They are the people who drive us for good. If however, looking to those people make you feel bad about yourself, then you need to shut them down,.

We have one life. It might be long, it might be short. Either way, do not spend it doubting yourself or worrying that you are not being enough. Can you be better? Of course, you can.

If you want to be better, then do something about it.

Not sure how to start?

Then spend some time sitting down and thinking inward, asking yourself what YOU really want from this life.

The answer lies within.

Every morning I start my day like most, skimming through my social media pages to see what is new in the world. I also see every morning, the perfections of bodies, the perfect lives that are so organised and happy, and the perfectly dressed and seemingly all together flawless lives.

Is any of it actually real though?

We would like to think it is, because aspiring towards perfection and positive circumstance is part of human nature. We all want to believe that what we see online is what we can achieve. Don’t get me wrong, with hard work, time and dedication, you can be or look however you desire.

However, here is the catch. Hard work, time and dedication are not sexy… they don’t sell and they certainly aren’t instant.

What DOES sell is quick and easy, at one low cost monthly price, with great content, 24hr support and a list of testimonials from the most successful clients! For $99 ladies and gents, you can have it all!

Now with this in mind, let me remind you of a very old saying, one you ALL would have heard:

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.

The same goes for fitness and nutrition. You can pay $50 or you can pay a million dollars, be given the best people to work with, the most experienced, the most knowledgeable, but it all comes down to what YOU’RE willing to do with it.

Will you drink? Will you put in the work to gather the water, ingest enough to ensure your thirst is quenched and put some extra supplies away for later? Even if it means going back over and over again to fill your glass?

Or, will you rush to take the first gulp and then question its worth? Being that the first glass did not make any immediate difference to your thirst, and knowing that you’ll need to bend down a number of times to refill your cup in order to feel full.

What you don’t see behind these perfect bodies, organised lives and happy all-together people is…

The sacrifice and dedication to the goal
The tough days where nothing goes right and life gets in the way
The times when you doubt yourself and question if you’re ever going to get to where you want to be
The nights when you are alone, and you’re tired, and no one is there to see you eat that tub of ice cream or drink that bottle of wine
The hours in the gym busting your ass – NOT taking photos to prove you were there

Wake up! Think about how you are being moulded and influenced by online channels and products. Stop making excuses for why something isn’t working, why you’re not losing the weight, why you haven’t reached that PB. Nine times out of ten, the reason why something is not working, is you.

What if I sat here and told you, you could be better than what you see, truly feel happy and content within yourself without comparison, that you are the most incredible unique human out there? You probably wouldn’t believe me, but it’s the truth.

Stop buying in to false realities, do the hard work, take the time and make it happen.