365 Days With Self-Discipline: 365 Life-Altering Thoughts on Self-Control, Mental Resilience, and Success

Day 311: On Setting an Example

Example has more followers than reason.

—Christian Nestell Bovee

 

312

Does  it  bother  you  that  people  laugh  at  your  efforts,  wonder  why

you’re deliberately making your life so difficult, or feel otherwise puzzled

about your recent efforts at making positive changes in your life?

Save  your  time  and  energy  trying  to  reason  with  them  —  it  won’t

work.  Instead,  focus  on  your  goals  and  set  an  example.  Soon,  when  you

achieve some results, people will start following your example, understand

why you’re doing what you’re doing, or at least shut up.

For example, people criticized me when I was on my diet, saying that I

was already skinny and shouldn’t lose more weight. However, I knew that I

had  to  drop  some  additional  pounds  to  uncover  more  muscle  definition.

Once I reached that goal and my muscles became more visible, it became

clear that I had been right from the get-go.

No  amount  of  reasoning  will  make  people  change  their  minds  in  the

same way as an example standing right in front of them.

Similarly, don’t try to persuade people to implement positive changes

in their lives just because that’s what you’re doing. Leave them be, and if

they notice your results, some will probably ask you for advice and try to

achieve the same results themselves. Again, it’s about setting the example,

not expending empty words.

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