December 2016

Fat Loss: Positive Change Part 1

Creating positive changes in your life is tough. It can be scary. Fear is a great obstacle to change and the hardest antagonist to our success is usually ourselves. To internally struggle with oneself and decide what we truly want is challenging for many people.

Sometimes we may be afraid of losing our relationships. Many people have relationships that are based on negative behaviors and unhealthy choice. Or is can be fear of the unknown, fear of failure, even fear of success, are common barriers to overcome to achieve success. Everyone at some point in life have been afraid that we’ll try and find that we don’t have what it takes — that we’ll discover limits to our abilities that will feel devastating, but success is attainable if you never give up - One step at a time - one opportunity at a time we can do it. If you don't have a skill go back to school or get proper training, and surround yourself with positive people that are on the same path to that goal or have attained it already to learn from them and encourage each other to face those challenges and to persevere until you win.

So how can you create positive changes in your life? Below are some insights that can help:

Developing Self-Awareness

The main key is to develop consciousness about the current situation, if you’re in denial about the issue, you won’t be motivated to make any changes. One way to develop consciousness is to pay attention to feedback from people who care about you and have your best interests at heart. For instance, if loved ones are saying you have a problem with emotional eating or drugs or alcohol, consider their words. You may not be an expert on yourself at all times, on all topics, and if the person sharing a concern with you is someone that you trust and you know that they love & care for you, it may be time to do some self reflection and observation.

Another option is to keep a record of your habits even if it's a brief note log on a piece of paper next to your bed or on the fridge. Include the times, amounts, and circumstances under which you partake, and log the consequences which ensue. You will then be more conscious about the impact of those habits in your life.


Letting Go of Limiting Beliefs

Many people believe deep down that they are limited in ways they are not. This can prevent people from pursuing positive changes in the first place. For instance, a young woman who believed she wasn’t smart enough to earn a college degree because of her poor grades in high school. She realized that those low grades were actually more of “a reflection of a lack of effort and commitment than her capacity to learn.” Relinquishing that false belief helped her refocus on her education.

Identifying your personal limiting beliefs can be tricky. You have to think about how you think about yourself … If you experience a great deal of difficulty doing so, a brief course of therapy or workshop would help rather quickly.


Making Small Changes

Making small, meaningful changes right now can build to bigger changes in the future. For instance, if you at at the store park farther away from the front door or take the stairs instead of the elevator to burn extra calories, as every little bit adds up in the long run. If you are bored or not feeling happy and you have free time then don't choose to stare at the fridge or buy junk food, instead choose something positive and active to do like putting on music you like and dance anywhere you are, or go for a walk, bike ride, snow shoeing, or go for a gym workout - you don't need a membership if you can't afford it as most gyms offer a drop-in option that is under $15 and you can shower there to save on your hot water bill to get a bigger bang for your buck. Inviting a friend to do something like a hobby you enjoy or to try something new. Maybe take a class of any kind or small group personal training being offered in your city or town that you haven't tried before - open your mind to new possibilities that are healthy and productive.


Not Giving Up After Failure

"We feel like we have failed if change doesn’t happen right away,” said Hibbert, author of the memoir This is How We Grow. Or we stop working on the issue because we run into stubborn challenges. Change is all about continuing to overcome and learn from the roadblocks. The only failure, as they say, is in giving up.


Behaving As If

“Often behaving ‘as if’ you were in a more positive position [i.e., ‘faking it until you make it’] can create the neural pathways in your brain needed to make those very changes. Make your motivation the caboose, not the locomotive.
In other words: Become the change you envision. The motivation for more momentum will often follow.


Having Non-Biased Support

There is importance of having “non-biased sources of support and coaching.” This might come from therapists, religious leaders, licensed trainers, coaches, or even mentors that have lived through and succeeded in reaching the goal that your trying to reach. These individuals can provide important insights and shifts away from fear, conditioning, or lack of vision. As just mentioned regarding mentors, other keys to positive change includes seeing others who have overcome similar obstacles and gaining insight and making a decision, such as “my long-term health is worth making some uncomfortable changes in my life." People have to see that a better life awaits them beyond the relative comfort of their current problems.

Change is an inevitable constant in life. Sometimes it feels terrible, but it’s up to each of us to determine where and how it goes, but you can get there. Anybody is capable of change, and it is never too late for change.

Here is a video of just some famous people who kept trying after every failure until they succeeded - Check it out:

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