Saying it out loud isn't the same as doing something about it

Let me take you to a consultation I had this week.

A potential client sat across from me.

I asked her the usual, what does she want, where does she want to go, what's actually going on day to day.

And she just... listed it all.

No water.

No breakfast.

No steps.

Phone until stupid o'clock.

No excuses.

No dressing it up.

Full ownership.

And for a second, that stopped me.

Because it sounded like self-awareness. It sounded like she'd really thought about it.

Like she'd done the work of noticing.

But then I sat with it a bit longer.

If you already know what to do and you're still not doing it, that's not an information problem.

You don't need me to tell you to drink more water.

You already know that.

So what is it, then?

It's not about the water.

It was never about the water.

It's the pattern underneath.

The bit that gets protected every time you say "yeah, I know" instead of "why don't I do it."

Because saying it out loud can feel like the honest bit.

The vulnerable bit.

But it's actually the easier bit.

Doing the thing is the hard part.

Naming that you don't do it is the comfortable part.

I see this constantly with emotional eaters.

"Yeah, I'm bored, I'll eat."

"Yeah, I'm stressed, I'll eat."

"I know, I know."

The awareness is there.

It's always been there.

But awareness sat on its own doesn't change anything.

It just becomes another thing you know and don't do.

What actually needs asking is the uncomfortable bit underneath.

What am I avoiding?

What am I distracting myself from?

Why do I not have the same compassion for myself that I have for everyone else in my life?

So this week, notice where you do this.

Notice what you own out loud without ever asking why you own it.

That's the bit worth sitting with.

If this is landing for you, this is exactly the work we do together in 1-1 coaching. Book a free, no-obligation consultation call and let's get into it.

Book your call here — https://calendly.com/coachingwcara/call-with-cara

I go further into this on my podcast "Chatting with Cara" which you can listen to here.