Have you ever sat down and really thought about the changes you want to make in your life? If you haven’t, take a moment now and give it a try. Close your eyes, take a deep breath in, release a slow exhale, and think from your heart about a change you want to make.
What is it for you? Whether it’s health, wealth, career, weight, exercise, spirituality, relationship(s); or bad habits you feel the need to break, maybe addictive behaviors such as excessive shopping, drinking, smoking, toxic relationships, over eating or heaven forbid, drugs, there is always something we say we want to change, and then we typically set a date when we plan to start changing it. So I ask you, why not start right now?
I’ll tell you why. It’s because of the lies we tell ourselves about why we can’t do something. These lies typically come from a place of fear. Fear of change, fear of failure, fear of judgment, maybe even fear of success. And while fear keeps us safe, and in our comfort zone, it also keeps us settling for less in life. Less for yourself.
I had so many lies in my head about health and weight loss that kept me unhealthy, stuck, fat and physically sick for many years. My thoughts had taken over and they were sabotaging my confidence and inner power and I didn’t even realize it!
I told myself things like, ”Bad health is genetic.” And that, “I am big boned and I have slow metabolism.” Or “It is too expensive to eat healthy.” And, “I never eat when I’m bored, stressed or out of habit, but I’m always hungry!” Or, “I don’t have time to exercise.” And on and on.
If you are unhealthy or fat, like I was, maybe you’ve told yourself some of those very same lies!
Pause for a moment and think about the thing you identified above that you want to change in your life. Then, take a deep breath in and a slow exhale and ask yourself, “What lies am I telling myself right now that are keeping me from making that change?” Sometimes, we already have a sense of what we want to hear, but be open to hear what you don’t want to hear…because if you aren’t, you may not recognize the “lie” that holds you back.
I look back now knowing that all those lies I was telling myself all those years were simply not real. I’ve proven them to be BS by making the change I wanted, and needed to change. Once I changed the way I thought about things, positive changes came to me. The lies were fears and thoughts in my mind, and over time, I had learned to believe them. Ultimately, those thoughts/lies/limiting beliefs sabotaged my success and in a way, put my life on hold for a long time.
We all know the importance of having the right mindset to succeed especially related to significant change. But it’s so hard to change the mind and it can be oh so hard to get out of our own way!
What I learned on my journey is that instead of thinking about all the reasons I couldn’t do something, I started consciously thinking about all the reasons I could.
If lies are just negative thoughts that keep us from avoiding change, what if we flipped our lies to positive statements instead? Such as, “Bad health may run in my family but I’m the exception, I’m strong and healthy.” Or “When I’m stressed, bored or reaching for food out of habit, instead I leash up my dog and we go for a walk to the park.” Or, “I thought I was hungry, but I drank a glass of water and it turns out, I’m not hungry at all.”
I get it. I know first hand how hard to be positive when you don’t feel or look your best, when you are bored, lonely, stuck, unhappy, or even downright physically sick. But that’s the very time to lean in and prove to yourself that you do have the power, and you can have positive thoughts! And if you do that, you’ll see like I did, that positive things will happen for you.
I often find inspiration by listening to motivational speakers from many different walks of life and really hearing what they have to say. Some things that I hear really resonate with me. This quote shifted my thinking almost instantly. The simplicity of it is so powerful. It’s a quote by Trent Shelton. Trent is a former American football player and motivational speaker (although he doesn’t proclaim the title of motivational speaker). He says “If you make up your mind that you can’t, you won’t. If you make up your mind that you can, you will.” It’s so simple and so obvious.
And, it’s certainly not a lie! Take a minute and let that quote soak in…
Today is the day to ditch the lies you are telling yourself. Flip the negative thoughts to positive and decide that you can and you will! Get out of your comfort zone and let go of your limiting beliefs so that you can make the changes you want for your life!
The journey to a healthier, happier you is so worth it. I know because I lived it. I stopped chasing weight loss and started focusing on my health—and that single shift changed everything. I lost 140 pounds, but more importantly, I found clarity, energy, and a life that finally feels like mine. I tell the whole story in my book. Click HERE to learn more.
