Utilizing Your Power To Lose Weight
February 5th 2012 21:06
Have you observed your behavior and made a list of what you did, at least for a week? Understandably, you probably did not write down every action you took over the course of each day, but what you did jot down can give you a starting point, i.e. an idea of what you do, how often, and how you react.
Let's take, for example, actions such as: making and eating breakfast, looking for car keys all over the house before work, doing a particular task at work, going to the movies, arguing with your spouse, watching your favorite show late at night and going to bed afterwards, etc. You may have also noted that some of the actions were done more frequently, one or more times daily. Some you enjoyed while others may have aroused anger, frustration, or other negative feelings. Additionally, you may have noted that what happened as a result of each action was either positive, negative, or of little to no major consequence.
This could include, for example, feeling nothing in particular or having no major consequences as the result of making or eating breakfast. In such a case, you might discontinue including this and any other actions that pose no problems.
On the other hand, you might have misplaced your car keys, felt very stressed, and then ended up getting to work late. On one or more subsequent days that week, you might have again misplaced your keys or your briefcase, or been so rushed you forgot to make or bring your lunch to work. These actions then resulted in outcomes such as getting stuck in traffic, getting reprimanded by the boss, having to buy your lunch at work, and/or purchasing whatever products were available in the employee lounge that resulted, in turn, in your deviating from your special diet. In such cases, a review of your weekly list would highlight these stressful experiences and the negative results and allow you to make changes. You could decide, for example, to make time the night before to see that your keys are in place, your special lunch is prepared, and you otherwise have everything you need for a stressfree experience as you leave the house for work the next morning.
The first thing to keep in mind is that all action you wrote down on your list was your choice. First and foremost, keep this in mind. Whether it's a more complex action involving numerous steps like going to work every day or planning an event, or a simple single act such as raising your arm to put on your shirt or blouse or opening your mouth to consume food, everything you do or don't do is a choice. Sure, we think we have to go to work to make money, or we have to eat food in order to stay alive. These are certainly realistic, but, at the same time, we are still making choices. In these examples, the choices allow us to avoid serious consequences we don't want.
In the final analysis, we cannot control what is outside and around us, such as, for example, the weather, or what others think and do, no matter how much we may want to. But what we do have is complete control over our individual thoughts and actions, and the more we recognize and use that immense inner power, the greater the ability becomes to make desired change and get what we need or want.
You can continue to observe your behavior and record and review your activities for another week or two. This will help develop your awareness of your personal power and help you identify areas of desired change. Raising your awareness of your personal power is also a critical step in believing in yourself and developing the kind of true faith and confidence you need to successfully pursue and achieve what you want in life.
In the next posts, we will look at more examples of listed activities, specifically those that are related to self-limitation and self-defeat, and we'll consider what we can do for ourselves to make practical, and even enjoyable changes that increase our overall pleasure and satisfaction as well as our potential for permanent weight loss success.
Remember that you have within yourself everything you need to achieve a healthy weight loss goal. The choice is yours, and ultimately only yours, as to whether or not you want to acknowledge and use that power.
Let's take, for example, actions such as: making and eating breakfast, looking for car keys all over the house before work, doing a particular task at work, going to the movies, arguing with your spouse, watching your favorite show late at night and going to bed afterwards, etc. You may have also noted that some of the actions were done more frequently, one or more times daily. Some you enjoyed while others may have aroused anger, frustration, or other negative feelings. Additionally, you may have noted that what happened as a result of each action was either positive, negative, or of little to no major consequence.
This could include, for example, feeling nothing in particular or having no major consequences as the result of making or eating breakfast. In such a case, you might discontinue including this and any other actions that pose no problems.
On the other hand, you might have misplaced your car keys, felt very stressed, and then ended up getting to work late. On one or more subsequent days that week, you might have again misplaced your keys or your briefcase, or been so rushed you forgot to make or bring your lunch to work. These actions then resulted in outcomes such as getting stuck in traffic, getting reprimanded by the boss, having to buy your lunch at work, and/or purchasing whatever products were available in the employee lounge that resulted, in turn, in your deviating from your special diet. In such cases, a review of your weekly list would highlight these stressful experiences and the negative results and allow you to make changes. You could decide, for example, to make time the night before to see that your keys are in place, your special lunch is prepared, and you otherwise have everything you need for a stressfree experience as you leave the house for work the next morning.
The first thing to keep in mind is that all action you wrote down on your list was your choice. First and foremost, keep this in mind. Whether it's a more complex action involving numerous steps like going to work every day or planning an event, or a simple single act such as raising your arm to put on your shirt or blouse or opening your mouth to consume food, everything you do or don't do is a choice. Sure, we think we have to go to work to make money, or we have to eat food in order to stay alive. These are certainly realistic, but, at the same time, we are still making choices. In these examples, the choices allow us to avoid serious consequences we don't want.
In the final analysis, we cannot control what is outside and around us, such as, for example, the weather, or what others think and do, no matter how much we may want to. But what we do have is complete control over our individual thoughts and actions, and the more we recognize and use that immense inner power, the greater the ability becomes to make desired change and get what we need or want.
You can continue to observe your behavior and record and review your activities for another week or two. This will help develop your awareness of your personal power and help you identify areas of desired change. Raising your awareness of your personal power is also a critical step in believing in yourself and developing the kind of true faith and confidence you need to successfully pursue and achieve what you want in life.
In the next posts, we will look at more examples of listed activities, specifically those that are related to self-limitation and self-defeat, and we'll consider what we can do for ourselves to make practical, and even enjoyable changes that increase our overall pleasure and satisfaction as well as our potential for permanent weight loss success.
Remember that you have within yourself everything you need to achieve a healthy weight loss goal. The choice is yours, and ultimately only yours, as to whether or not you want to acknowledge and use that power.
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