How to Call Bullsh*t on Yourself
We all do it.
We let life trundle along and grumble about what’s going wrong, how unhappy we are and look for someone to blame. I confess this had been my MO for many years until I learnt a simple yet powerful way to call bullsh*t on myself.
WARNING: ONCE YOU KNOW THIS YOU CAN’T UNKNOW IT……THERE IS NO ONE ELSE TO BLAME ONCE YOU READ FURTHER….YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
A number of years ago now a business coach asked me where I lived. I thought this was a straightforward question as I lived in a house with my family. This wasn’t what she meant.
She was asking me if I lived above or below the line?
“What line?” I hear you ask.
A metaphoric line that separates those who live with negativity, blame, victimhood and contraction and those who understand that their actions are a result of their choices and so the consequences are theirs to own as well.
Ok that all sounds a bit heavy, but nonetheless it’s true.
Over the years on FB I’m sure you’ve seen your share of people who post asking , “why does this always happen to me!’ or “my life sucks.” You could say that their address is pretty much ‘below the line’.
In contrast, those that live above the line tend to know and accept that life is full of choice and take responsibility when their choices don’t pan out the way they had hoped.
This is where the calling bullsh*t comes in.
It’s hard to blame others if you are also accepting your part and looking at how you can take the next step in making this better.
You may be nodding and thinking , ‘yes I live above the line at work, I’m diligent and take responsibility for my actions.’ That’s awesome.
But while we can be above the line at work as soon as we step into our health zone we can quickly fall below, making excuses as to why exercise is hard to fit in and why no alcohol days are for wimps!
The truth is we ping above and below the line all day long, depending on which area of our life we are focusing on. We get to use the ‘above and below the line’ concept to bring ourselves back to the person we want to be rather than the grump we might be in that moment.
Asking yourself the question, “where are you living right now,” is enough to shake you up and set you straight. It’s your bullsh*t calling question.
You are welcome, don’t say I didn’t warn you….that would take you below the line!
