04/22/2025
This morning I was chatting with our nanny, just catching up about the weekend, and she told me a story that really stuck with me.
She spent Easter with her extended family and brought her five-year-old daughter along. Her daughterâs a great eater.
And she actually doesnât like greasy food, and she avoids candy because it makes her stomach feel weird.
But while they were there, some of the family started poking fun at her about it.
Saying things like, âLet her live a little.â
âLet her be a kid.â
âCome on, whatâs a little candy going to hurt?â
And even some passive comments like, âOoooh, trying to be healthy, huh?â
And it hit me how deep this goes.
That pressure doesnât go away just because we get older.
If anything, it gets louder; just in different words.
Youâve probably heard it too:
âYouâre no fun anymore.â
âYouâre already in good shape, why are you still being so strict?â
âOne bite wonât kill you.â
âJust relax, live a little.â
Itâs subtle. But that stuff chips away at your confidence if youâre not grounded in what youâre doing and why youâre doing it.
And most importantly⌠itâs why who you surround yourself with matters so much.
You donât always get to choose your family.
You donât always get to choose your coworkers.
But you DO get to choose the people you spend the most intentional time around.
Because if youâre constantly around people who donât care about their health, who roll their eyes at fitness goals, who make fun of people trying to improve⌠guess what?
That becomes your norm.
But when youâre in a room where getting stronger is celebrated, where saying no to junk isnât weird, where people hold you to a higher standard, not because theyâre judging you, but because they believe in you, everything shifts.
Your identity starts to evolve.
And your results start to reflect it.
Choose your rooms wisely.
The people around you matter more than you think.