As I sift through some of the ridiculous things people post under the banner of inspiring others, I'm compelled to speak out against a few of these misguided, and even dangerous statements.
Here is my list of 3 stupid “inspirational” quotes…
Here is my list of 3 stupid “inspirational” quotes…
#1. "Second place is the first loser."
Are we still saying this? Just when I think this one has run its course, it pops up on my feed again. It may be the dumbest one out there.
Imagine if you could be second place all the time. I'm guessing you'd be pretty stoked about...
- Second richest person in the world.
- Second most photogenic person.
- Second most innovative person in human history.
- Doctor who has saved the second most lives...etc.
Would we call any of these people a loser in their specific contexts? Of course not.
If we've done our best, we need to stop acting like spoiled little brats who didn't get our way, and start being grateful for the amazing gifts we've been given. (no matter what place we come in)
#2. "Pain is temporary, pride is forever."
Let's not forget that pain is a great way to recognize when you should stop doing something.
You absolutely should not give up if you are a healthy person who is just having a pity party for yourself in the middle of an AMRAP.
On the other hand, If your conscience/pain is telling you something isn't safe, you should remember that SOME pain IS forever.
How proud will you be if you jack yourself up trying to win a poorly attended Wednesday WOD by ignoring your pain and finishing at all costs? Let's do some risk/reward evaluations shall we?
3. "Surround yourself with ONLY people who will lift you higher."
This quote is great advice if you never want to help anyone else, teach anyone anything, or inspire someone to see their untapped potential.
Don't get me wrong. I think there are times to cut ties with unhealthy relationships, but sometimes WE need to be the ones helping people out of a low spot instead of always reaching up and asking for a boost from the rock stars we've surrounded ourselves with.
I'm sure I'll get push-back on this one, but keeping people who need help, or have nothing to offer you out of your life is a pretty selfish thing to do, don't you think?
Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now. There are MANY more quotes I hate out there, but hey, we all have lives to live, and things to do, so I'll let you sift through the rest of them :)
It should also be noted that I LOVE QUOTES, but I feel like it's important to look at them with a critical eye, instead of blindly letting them "inspire" us into an unhealthy state of mind.
Have a WONDERFUL day!
Are we still saying this? Just when I think this one has run its course, it pops up on my feed again. It may be the dumbest one out there.
Imagine if you could be second place all the time. I'm guessing you'd be pretty stoked about...
- Second richest person in the world.
- Second most photogenic person.
- Second most innovative person in human history.
- Doctor who has saved the second most lives...etc.
Would we call any of these people a loser in their specific contexts? Of course not.
If we've done our best, we need to stop acting like spoiled little brats who didn't get our way, and start being grateful for the amazing gifts we've been given. (no matter what place we come in)
#2. "Pain is temporary, pride is forever."
Let's not forget that pain is a great way to recognize when you should stop doing something.
You absolutely should not give up if you are a healthy person who is just having a pity party for yourself in the middle of an AMRAP.
On the other hand, If your conscience/pain is telling you something isn't safe, you should remember that SOME pain IS forever.
How proud will you be if you jack yourself up trying to win a poorly attended Wednesday WOD by ignoring your pain and finishing at all costs? Let's do some risk/reward evaluations shall we?
Save super-human, high-risk efforts for the time your neighbor runs himself over while rotating his tires, and you need to deadlift his Trans-am while your kids drag him to safety.
3. "Surround yourself with ONLY people who will lift you higher."
This quote is great advice if you never want to help anyone else, teach anyone anything, or inspire someone to see their untapped potential.
Don't get me wrong. I think there are times to cut ties with unhealthy relationships, but sometimes WE need to be the ones helping people out of a low spot instead of always reaching up and asking for a boost from the rock stars we've surrounded ourselves with.
I'm sure I'll get push-back on this one, but keeping people who need help, or have nothing to offer you out of your life is a pretty selfish thing to do, don't you think?
Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now. There are MANY more quotes I hate out there, but hey, we all have lives to live, and things to do, so I'll let you sift through the rest of them :)
It should also be noted that I LOVE QUOTES, but I feel like it's important to look at them with a critical eye, instead of blindly letting them "inspire" us into an unhealthy state of mind.
Have a WONDERFUL day!
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P.S. "Always remember that welts are just poor double-under skills leaving the body :)"