If you’re a Facebook friend of mine, you may have seen over the years that I sometimes share some of the, shall we say, less than positive comments we receive on social media posts and in reply to our emails.
The vast majority of the comments are nice, but there’s always a few less so.
Most are disproportionately annoyed that my paid advertising appears in their feed when that is what is enabling their use of that free-to-end-user platform.
Some of the comments get pretty nasty.
Comments on the appearance of anyone other than me instantly get deleted and the commenter banned from the page.
Ones about my appearance or me in general, I normally respond to.
And these are the ones I get asked about the most.
“Does it bother you when people make those comments?” is a question I’ve heard many times over the years.
And the answer, ultimately, is “No”.
Whilst I don’t want negative comments, per se (no one does)…………..
I came to the realisation that a message that will lead to change in some………..
Will “trigger” others.
If no one ever got annoyed by what I was saying, I’m pretty sure no one would ever be inspired by it either.
If it is was so vanilla that no one ever got irritated by it, it wouldn’t initiate action in others.
The intention is never to annoy anyone.
The intention is to help people make the changes that they want to make.
The triggering of some is the other side of the same coin.
It is what it is.
The realisation that many things in life that we like and don’t like are the opposite sides of the same coin, is powerful.
I could be tempted to get annoyed when people join, don’t do what they explicitly told me they would and then cancel (like many FitPros do with their clients).
But if everyone found it easy to have the body, health, mood and energy that they desire………..
I wouldn’t be needed.
Two sides to the same coin.
I greatly admire the fact that my wife is driven and determined, that she works hard and is a ‘finisher’.
I don’t necessarily like the fact that it’s not uncommon that I spend the evening only seeing the back of her head as she works and that I go to bed alone.
Two sides to the same coin.
The more we look the more we realise that what we could call the “good” and “bad” in our lives and relationships with others are often those two sides to that proverbial coin.
And that, what we are, essentially wanting to happen is for things to be just that ‘sweet spot’ of ‘not too little, not too much’.
We’re, essentially, wanting to control others, without realising it.
Everyone loving everything I put out there and no one making negative comments would, in theory, be lovely.
But it ain’t gonna happen.
I can’t control how people interpret and deal with what I say and nor should I.
Wanting people to always responds perfectly to the level of support I can give them when they may have struggled with the same goals in the past would be naïve.
Wanting my wife to be a hard worker, but not work too hard would be me defining what she should do.
The more we can see those two sides to the same coin, the more we can make peace with the side we like a little less.
The more we can realise that there’s no rainbow without rain.
No positive without negative.
No “good” without “bad”.
And be ok with the other side of the coin for the side we do want.
Much love,
Jon ‘My kids used to call any money “poin” when they were little’ Hall
P.S. If you’re ready to accept the other side of the same coin of exercising regularly and eating healthily (because it’s more than worth it), we can help you with that. With a proven track record and a money back guarantee. Apply now at www.myrise.co.uk/apply
——————————————————————-
RISE in Macclesfield was established in 2012 and specialise in Group Personal Training weight loss programmes for those that don’t like the gym and find diets boring and restrictive!
