“He’s too big”
“Eww look at her shoulders”
“How can you eat that every day?”
“You should stop because you’ll look like a man”
These are all socially acceptable comments people make to shut you down. He’s ‘too big’ because his dream is to compete and win. Her shoulders look like that because she can shoulder press 50kg for reps and she feels like a boss. You eat that every day because you have a goal and you’re working towards making it happen. You shouldn’t stop because the progress you make is highlighting the fact that others can’t do what you do.
They won’t say you’re overweight or you shouldn’t eat that chocolate because when they don’t envy you, they’re comfortable with their own inadequacies. Maybe they don’t want to look the way you do, but I can guarantee they wish they had your drive and motivation to succeed. The fact that you work together, grew up together, have the same background proves that they have the potential to achieve the same success that you have but they choose lazy or easy paths and feel guilty looking at the effort you put in and jealous of your accomplishments.
You will never see happy, successful people put someone down. When you’re truly comfortable and confident about where you are and what you’re doing you will want to help others share in this experience. These are the kind of people you need in your life.
If you really want to achieve success you need to shut out all the external negativity. It can be hard to ignore someone when you sit next to them for 8 hours a day, but you don’t have to take in a word they say. The fact is that you get one life, do you really want to sit on your deathbed and look back thinking “Well I’m glad Mike at work didn’t think I was weird” well Mike has had 5 jobs since and doesn’t remember who you are. Never let someone else’s opinion stop you from being who you are or what you want to be just because the ‘cool kids’ think you’re weird for being different and standing out. This doesn’t just go for fitness, this can be used in any area of your life, maybe you hate your job and want to go back to college, maybe you want to move to a new country, or maybe your stuck in a relationship you’re not happy with. At the end of the day you’ve got one shot at life, never put anyone’s negativity above your happiness. Greatness comes from within, be the best you that you can be and your dreams will come true.