Do you want to know the three most dangerous words you could ever speak?

Here they are. “I don’t care.”

I heard myself saying these three lethal words often last year. 

I used them as justification and an excuse when I didn’t want to go to the gym, eat wisely, have hard conversations, conquer laziness or pretend everything was fine when some days it wasn’t. 

There are times when it’s okay not to be dictated or controlled by the opinions of others but “I don’t care” is never permission to be rude, spread malicious gossip or treat anyone cruelly. 

I realized recently the powerful impact these three words were having on my daily life.

“I don’t care” keeps us silent when we need to speak up and speaking up when we need to remain quiet.  It will also result in low self worth, excess, lethargy and depression.

Do you ever hear yourself or someone else say “I don’t care – “how I look” “who see’s me” “what I eat” “how that room looks” “if I hurt their feelings” or “if they hurt me?”

There’s actually a fourth unspoken word we could include but don’t and it is “enough.” 

When I said “I don’t care” what I really meant was “I don’t care enough” to try, create new habits, embrace discipline, dress for the day I want, eat healthy, speak up or set boundaries,

“I don’t care” is how we try to convince ourselves we’re fine when deep down we aren’t.

It becomes the lie that’s easier to believe as time goes on acting as an emotional shield from feelings we’d rather avoid like disappointment, heartache, guilt or shame. 

Let’s get curious and see what would happen if this year we refuse to say “I don’t care.”

Simply Stated – It’s the caring that keeps us healthy physically, emotionally, personally, financially and spiritually.  

To me it’s so important I’ve asked a close friend to hold me accountable. When she hears me say those three lethal words she has full permission to stop mid-conversation and call me out. 

Because deep down I do care, I want to care, I owe it to myself to care and I believe you do too.  

Sandra Hubbard