Graham🐝 Edwards

5 years ago · 1 min. reading time · ~100 ·

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Everyone will have an opinion on "different"...

Everyone will have an opinion on "different"...

WHEN SOMEONE SAYS
"YOU'VE CHANGED"
IT SIMPLY MEANS
YOU'VE STOPPED
LIVING YOUR LIFE
THEIR WAY.If you read anything I write (which I really appreciate by the way) you will know that I am a big advocate for "different". Different stimulates ideas, offers perspectives to better understand situations, is the champion of change, and makes things happen. It is important to realize though that different will always elicit a response, and this is actually what makes it so important.
But make no mistake about it, the response may not always be supportive. A slightly humorous case in point:

Recently I decided to adopt a whole plant based diet for health reasons (which I should point out does not necessarily mean I've adopted the vegan life style). For my efforts, some of the comments that have come my way went something like this:

  • "Where are you going to get your protein from? You are gonna bonk on the ride"
  • "You need to eat meat to get enough protein"
  • "We were talking about you becoming a vegan and just laughing"
  • "You are breaking your vegan rules because there are eggs in the bread you ate"
  • " I guess we can't eat at that restaurant anymore"

Sure I received other comments that supported my new eating habits but those mostly came from people who already support a whole plant based diet (aka vegans)... although they may not be so happy when they find out I will still be wearing my leather jackets.

As in my little case study, different will most certainly elicit responses regarding the problems that will come with what you are doing or suggesting — in fact, if you aren't experiencing this it may be an indicator of "group think" or a lack of engagement. Different is supposed to elicit a response, and with it, create discussion. It is in this discussion that better ideas are developed, situations are better understood, and change can be effectively implemented. And in knowing this there shouldn't ever be any reason to shy away from offering a different opinion, taking a different point of view, or offering up that "crazy" idea — you want to invite the pushback, as well as the discussion, because it offers a better result.

And for that opinion on my plant based diet — yes you can get all the protein you need from plants; meat is actually really hard to digest and inflammatory; I'm not a vegan; there are no eggs in the bread I eat, and restaurants are extremely helpful and flexible with what they serve.

So far, so good.

iamgpe


Comments

Levan Johnson

2 years ago #14

Graham🐝 Edwards

2 years ago #13

Levan Johnson

2 years ago #12

I see this post was written a while ago. Are you still on the plant based diet? Did you make  complete lifestyle change. Did you notice any benefits? I'm asking because I have been thinking about it since it's a great way to lower your blood pressure (or so I heard).😏

Graham🐝 Edwards

5 years ago #11

#7
It's a great quote Louise Smith

Graham🐝 Edwards

5 years ago #10

#6
Thanks Jerry Fletcher

Graham🐝 Edwards

5 years ago #9

#4
Thanks Claire L Cardwell... a couple of times I have been a "pescatarian".... it works for me!.. lol

Graham🐝 Edwards

5 years ago #8

#3
Thanks for the "clips" CityVP \ud83d\udc1d Manjit

Graham🐝 Edwards

5 years ago #7

#2
Thanks Ken Boddie... still doing pretty good!

Graham🐝 Edwards

5 years ago #6

#1
I also stopped the diet coke Ren\u00e9e \ud83d\udc1d Cormier... thanks for caring!

Louise Smith

5 years ago #5

Brian McKenzie 's quote "Everyone wants you to share your life and be 'authentic' .......just as long as it matches their comfortable corner with kittens, rainbows and inpirational memes"

Jerry Fletcher

5 years ago #4

Graham, Enjoy!

Ken Boddie

5 years ago #3

#4
I thought your alternative cuisine label, Claire L Cardwell, was a blue eyed blond who removes stray felines. 🤥

CityVP Manjit

5 years ago #2

It is when we seek the antonym of vegetarian that we may see what the antonym thinks we are https://www.powerthesaurus.org/vegetarian/antonyms - is there a nice way of declaring oneself a "meatarian" a.k.a. someone who balks at eating their vegetables? Naturally one of my own favorite movie clips is the opening from "How to Get Ahead in Advertising" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQc-zD7WrzA Of course there is also Monty Python and their "and now for something completely different" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGK8IC-bGnU

Ken Boddie

5 years ago #1

Good luck with the new diet, Graham. Some of the strongest people I know are vegetarians. They eat ‘muscle sprouts’. 🤣

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