Ask Misty by Misty Green

Ok Hardfitness readers, we are halfway through the year! I can’t believe it. I hope everyone is sticking to their New Year’s resolutions. Regardless, I hope everyone is leading a healthy and happy lifestyle. I know this column is typically about workouts or competition questions but I also believe that part of being healthy is also about mental health and the attitude in which we approach each and everyday. Over the past 4 to 5 weeks I have received quite a few emails similar to the following one. I hope this helps anyone who has been through something similar.

I’ve been competing for almost two years. I find that I’m not sure if I enjoy competing anymore. It seems that everyone can be so fake in this industry. People will just use and take advantage of anyone they can just to get to the top. Has it always been this way or does it make a difference depending on which shows you go to?  This has just been something I’ve observed from show to show. Where are the real and sincere people?
Gigi

  Well, it sounds like you’ve observed some negative situations and/or been around some people that have left a negative impression on you. So, let me start off with something positive from one competitor to another “congratulations”! You should be proud of yourself and what you have accomplished. It takes quite a bit of dedication and motivation to compete for 2 yrs. and nothing should take away from that!
Unfortunately, there are always going to be people that are “fake” or negative and you will come across people like this no matter what industry you are in. This can happen anywhere whether it’s at school, work, competitions and of course the entertainment industry…there are always going to be those that will do anything and everything to move ahead no matter who they hurt or have an impact on in the process. If this is making you question competing at all, then maybe you need to take a look at your goals and why you started competing in the first place. Maybe revisiting your initial dreams or goals will re-energize you. The advice I can give you to you and how to handle this is: “don’t let situations change you but you change the situation”. As I see it there are times when we are faced with adversity and we can deal with it in three different ways.
-You let it change you into someone fragile
-You let it change you into someone hardened and bitter
-Or you stay strong and don’t let the situation change who you are as a person; you change the situation with the attitude in which you deal with it
Whether you are at a show or just dealing with people in everyday life, when you come across someone who is having a negative impact on you, then get away from the situation. I promise there are real and sincere people all around. You sometimes just have to weed through the “fake” or negative people to get to them. But something you can take away is you’ll learn how to spot those that you want to be around much quicker!

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