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“I’ve fallen off the wagon.”
“I’ve had a slip up.”
“I’ve tripped.”
“I’ve stumbled.”
“I’ve hit a roadblock.”

We’ve all been there, we all know how it happens and we’ve all said these things. The truth is that I’ve never fallen off a wagon and landed face first in a cake. I’ve never slipped on a banana peel and wound up with a doughnut lodged in my throat. I’ve tripped, stumbled and hit roadblocks many times in my life but not once have these unfortunate events resulted in accidentally slamming down a family sized pizza and a tub of ice cream.

Language matters. We don’t eat unhealthful foods by some sort of accident that’s beyond our control, we simply make choices. Some choices we are proud of and some we are not. When we “fall off the wagon” it’s because we decided to. The language of “accidents” only serves to pass the buck.

If we can accept full responsibility for our poor choices then we also have permission to feel the pride and relief that comes with good choices. Don’t say “I slipped”, say “I decided”. It’s a small but important difference.

When you accept that it was a simple decision, then you can also see that because this wasn’t the unexpected result of an unfortunate event, you are capable of making a different choice. With this is mind, you’re then able to learn from your experience: what circumstances lead to your decision? What stories did you tell yourself to convince you that it was the right decision to make? What can you do differently next time? How can you think differently next time?

You are more powerful than you know and you are completely in charge of what goes in your mouth. You are always capable of consistently making good choices, but only if you fully accept responsibility for all the choices you make an act accordingly.

Be honest with yourself. Language matters.

Spud up!
Andrew