‘Positive thinking’, is it just a cliché? Overdone and over used?
I’m actually ALL about positive thinking and I don’t care what anyone says, if it’s over done or over used, it works. Life is all about perspective and what you bring to the table.
I’d like to think I’m a master at making lemonade outta lemons.
It’s no easy task at times. I’ve seen my share of personal drama, in this last year particularly, but by always putting a positive spin on things, life isn’t as hard.
Here’s an example of two ways two people I know look at the same situation: When told that it’d be raining on a holiday one says, ‘Great the beach won’t be crowded and I won’t get a sun burn!’ The other person just sees rain, no suntan, doom and gloom.
Let me tell you, it’s a whole lot easier to be around the person with the sunny disposition. I want to be that person. I want to be the one that others are drawn to rather than the one people want to avoid. We all know someone that’s an energy vampire that seems to suck the life out of us. I don’t want to be that person filled with negative energy.
One strategy I find helpful in trying to put a positive spin on things is to not focus on heavy issues when I’m over tired or stressed. I need to come to my problems with a fresh mind and if I’m down and out, I need to understand that the sky is NOT falling. I can wait an hour/day/week or get a good night’s sleep and things will look better.
I’ve made the mistake of making a mountain out of a molehill only to wake up the next day and kick myself. If the mountain really IS a mountain when I’m rested and not emotionally messed up, then I can come to the problem with more clarity when rested. More often than not though, I feel like I can conquer ANYTHING when I’ve had a good night’s sleep.
So what does this have to do with anything fitness or fat loss related? Good question.
Your fitness and fat loss goals are like anything else. I know that some of you get really down about yourself when you fail to fit into your jeans, when you huff and puff up a set of stairs or when you can’t keep up with your kids. These are problems that need to be addressed with a positive spin as well. You need to come to these problems with a clear head and make some decisions for change like you would any other problem.
More often than not, I hear clients that are stressed or discouraged and end up throwing in the towel and eat a bag of cookies or down a gallon of ice cream instead of making a plan to address their issues. Of course this only compounds their problem.
Obviously, change is needed.
How many people do you know that have been trying to make the same change for years? Are you one of them? Why does change not seem to ‘take’?
What is keeping you from making a positive change in your life?
According to Anthony Robbins (a powerful author and speaker), it’s getting ready to change that’s difficult. In the end there’s a single instant when the change occurs. Robbins goes on to outline three specific beliefs that you must have in order to instantly create a lasting change.
Belief #1: Something MUST change.
Do you sort of want to get into shape, or do you absolutely have to lose the weight? Does dropping a few pounds sound nice, or is living another day in your current body unbearable? In order to make a lasting change you must be convinced that the time has come.
It’s vital that you take full responsibility in making any kind of change. Others can help you, but in the end YOU are the one who’s got to make that change happen.
You have to need this change enough to make it your personal mission and you need to be willing to make the necessary sacrifices along the way–no one else can do it for you.
Belief #3: I believe I can make the change happen.
Don’t let past failures get in your way. Believe that you’re capable of losing weight or making any other positive change in your life. The truth is that we can all do amazing things when we put our mind to it.
Do you see how a little positive thinking is necessary?
Here are a few more positive thinking tips to help make change possible:
· Surround yourself with positive people.
· Avoid those energy vampires that bring you down to their negative level.
· When you feel discouraged, stay the course, get some sleep and don’t take those moments too seriously.
· Positive self-talk is key. Change the negative thoughts in your head about yourself. Instead of seeing yourself as ‘fat and out of shape’ focus on what’s beautiful about yourself. You may say ‘I have beautiful hair’ or ‘I’m a giving person and people love me’.
· Always ask yourself how things could be worse. By seeing that things could be worse, the current situation is more bearable.
· Gratitude is key as well. Appreciate all that you have going for you and life is more abundant instantly.
· For added motivation when necessary, briefly think about the things that may happen if you don’t make that necessary change. Sadly most of us are more motivated by pain than by pleasure so it may be necessary for us to be in a world of pain before we’re actually ready to make the needed changes in our life. Then turn your thinking around and focus on all the positive things that will happen when you do make the change.
For some it takes some practice to be a positive thinker, I think some people are just born with or conditioned to more negativity. But with a conscious effort, this can all be turned around.
When you need to make any kind of change in your life, particularly related to your health, these healthy positive thinking habits will make the difference between success and failure.
