Motivation doesn’t always come. You know you want to do something about it – intellectually, you know you should. You can think about all the reasons your life will be better, and all the reasons you should make that change. So why can’t you get yourself to want to take the actions to make it happen? I’ve blogged in the past about finding your “compelling why,” but I’m beginning to see that your “why” alone may not be enough! Why? Because you are THINKING it over, but it is not something you feel in your gut. You do not have the emotional drive to take that first step. Let’s look at this process for making the decision to lose the extra weight. How do you turn that corner from “wanting” to drop weight or knowing that you “should” take off some pounds? How do you step out and make that quantum decision?
You have to make it a MUST. You have no other choice. You MUST do this. How? Find your tipping point. Find all the pain associated with your present state. Reinforce this in your mind and in your gut. How is the extra weight making you unhappy? What pain is it causing you? Is it harder to get around? Do you feel self-conscious when you go out in clothing that is too tight, but there are no larger sizes left in your closet? Is your stomach acidy and sick all the time? Are you uncomfortable when you go to bed at night because of that sick stomach and your girth? Are you just fed up with overeating and feeling horrible as a result? Maybe you spend much of your day and energy focused on food – what have you eaten, what can you eat next, how many calories is it and will it make me fatter? Can’t buy cute clothes anymore? Won’t buy new clothes because, “why bother?” How much emotional pain is this causing you, and yet you continue to try and bury all that emotional pain by eating even more? Get into it – find ALL the pain. Do you agonize over your closet for what is going to fit and what isn’t, and how is it going to look? How much is your fat going to show. That has been PAIN. How much pain has this brought into your life? When you sit down and actually write out all the pain the extra weight has been causing, you will know right down in your gut – this is something that MUST change. You have no other choice. This has to happen.
Where is the pleasure? If you can stop the overeating and/or the junky food eating, how much better is that going to feel? When getting dressed is a simple decision, pulling on light clothing and sailing out the door knowing it looks great and feels great – how much pleasure is in that! You can easily stop eating as soon as you stop feeling hunger, because you know you can always eat again when hunger returns. Food is not stuffed in your stomach, making you ill. Your stomach is light and you still feel like you can dance your way right out the door. Pleasure!! You have energy. You can focus on better things in your life. Friends, connections, hobbies, experiences.
Compare all the pleasures you can dream up to all the pain you’ve been having. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a must is this decision becoming? Not a 10 yet? Keep working on it. Keep journaling and noticing the pain you are causing yourself compared to the pleasure of making that decision and starting to take steps NOW. When you suddenly know that you must do this. You have no other choice – there is no looking back. That’s it. Decision made. This becomes the best day of your life. Today everything just changed for you. Sure, you have the same body you did one second ago, but YOU are forever changed and your body will soon catch up. Step out the door knowing you just made that quantum decision and you will never be the same again.
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