Friday, February 10, 2012

Live Like the Honey Badger: Principle 3

This is the third in a series of posts entitled, Live Like the Honey Badger. Every Friday, I address one aspect of developing confidence, self-worth, a fearless nature and the like. Previous weeks are linked below.

Principle 1: Honey Badger Don't Care
Principle 2: Accept Yourself. Your Whole Self

Principle 3: Surround Yourself With Honey Badgers

Last time I checked, we live in a social world. Everyday, we interact with hundreds, if not thousands, of people, both face-to-face and virtually. And each of these interactions has an effect on how we live our lives. Think about it.

  • Maybe you hold yourself back because someone tells you that, "You can't" or "Your idea is stupid."
  • Maybe you don't take a chance because you are afraid of what others might think if you fail. 
  • Maybe you have always been told that you aren't enough and it paralyzes you completely.

Do you see what all of those scenarios have in common?

NEGATIVITY.

Negativity is contagious. It grabs you by your doubt and sucks you in and if you are surrounded by it for long enough, it can be hard to escape.

If your peers are negative, chances are you will be negative. If your peers are unhealthy, chances are you will be unhealthy. If your peers are stagnant, chances are you will be stagnant too. Over time, we become our peer groups. But, it doesn't have to hold you back. Let me use myself as an example.

As a teen, I was overweight. And so were my friends. We fostered each others negative behaviors. We chose eating out over eating healthy and movie nights over workout sessions. Then, when I decided to make a change, I found myself drifting from those people, maybe intentionally, maybe not. And as I drifted, I formed new connections with people who supported, agreed with or shared my passion for health and fitness. And now, I am surrounded (both virtually and in real life) with individuals who "get me" and what I am trying to do. They understand why I would want to be an Ironman or be a vegetarian, even if they don't aspire to do the same. They understand that my choices are intended to improve the quality of life for me and my whole family. They see the big picture.

Sure, there have been speed bumps along the way. I've encountered people who I thought were there for me, but their negativity was too great to overcome. So, I've left them behind and I'm better for it. It hasn't always been easy, but every struggle has been worth it.

If we are a reflection of the people in our lives, then we need to surround ourselves with people who we can aspire to be like, people who won't belittle our dreams to make themselves feel better, people who will cheer us on and support us regardless of how farfetched our plans may be. Rid yourself of the negativity in your life. It's getting you nowhere.

Long story short, if you want to be a Honey Badger, you need to surround yourself with Honey Badgers.

15 comments:

Jen said...

I need me dome honey badgers! <3

Jen said...

Some

Anonymous said...

i LOVE this post! Every word is SO true! While all of my friends support me, those with similar interests and mindsets support me a little more--they know my goals and lifestyle and understand it b/c they live it too. I wish I knew this in high school b/c my life would probavly be different. I am working on trying to instill this in my daughter now while she is young.

Jason said...

Perfect in every way. You have to be surrounded by positivity b/c otherwise it is a drain on you mentally and physically.

I love our endurance world and the best part is that people are coming into it all the time and you can gain perspective and inspiration/motivation from them all at the same time.

Way to go HoneyBadger

Running Ricig said...

I'm loving these posts.

Marlene said...

Something I've been working on in the last year or so is weeding out negativity... unfortunately, that sometimes means PEOPLE.

Amber said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE this post! It is so true. I have some honey badger friends....and some non-honey badger friends. The more I accept myself and become healthier, the more trouble I have relating to my non-honey badger friends.

Unknown said...

This is an interesting post. I live in a very small town where everyone knows everyone. I agree you do come your peers. do you feel you get stuck by also being a part of your children's friends social network? I am a "Mom" at the fancy school in town and thus must hold my place in the PTO and social birthday rounds arena. I just can't stand it! They are so not my people. The healthy habits I have adopted over the years is like a foreign language to them. This honeybadger is pretty lonely some days!

Running Backwards in High Heels said...

It was amazing when I found other honey badgers out on the Internets. Now, I'm turning my friends into honey badgers like us.. healthier lifestyles, working out, etc. :)

Cindy said...

i love your "honey badger" series!!! so awesome...you've inspired a blog post for me!

Michelle said...

My favorite honey badger post yet! :)

Jessica (Pace of Me) said...

I love love love this. We have a fun group of about 6 of us who meet for 5:30am runs in the freezing cold, dark wintry mornings. Lately we call ourselves THB (team honey badger). I can't tell you how much these guys mean to me and how grateful I am to be surrounded by them. In running and in life. xxxooo

Bethany + Ryan said...

Great post!!! I missed that whole honey badger thing...when i saw your fb post about someone calling you a honey badger i had no idea what that meant. Then i went home and Googled "honey badger" and saw the youtube video. Now i totally get it. Great points!!!

Unknown said...

sometimes you have to 'break up ' w/ people ... and that's okay. now I have to go and google/youtube honey badger. :)

Unknown said...

Jen.. we will all be YOUR honey badgers!