Picture a lemon clearly in your mind.   It’s a big, bright, fresh, yellow lemon.   Pick it up and feel the weight of it in your hand... It must be very juicy.   It seems heavy for the size of it.

 

 

The skin is shiny.
 

It is firm to the touch with just a bit of give when you squeeze it.
 

Bring it up to your nose and smell it. 

Now pick up a knife and carefully slice into it...   See the juice glistening on the blade of the knife.   Smell that tangy citrus scent...   Now pick up a piece of that lemon and take a big BITE!

 

 

 

 

Is your mouth watering... even just a little bit? Did you maybe even feel a twitch near your ear?

As a professional speaker conducting personal growth seminars; I would regularly lead this exercise, and I could literally see people swallowing and licking their lips. And when we got to that bite, they would actually recoil from the sour taste and make all kinds of funny sour faces!

Of course there was no lemon... but their minds didn’t know that.

Their bodies had a valid physiological response to something that was wholly imagined. Their minds didn’t know the difference!

Now just think about that for a moment in regard to those negative or self-defeating statements that we say to ourselves. Does your mind accept them as absolute truth even if they really are untrue? It absolutely does!  Your mind will cause them to become reality. You've literally told it to do so.

Let’s look at those statements again and see if they can be rephrased: 

“I just can’t lose weight.”
         “I am capable of doing what I need to do to succeed.” 

“Being overweight is in my genes.”
         “I am in control of my weight."   "My family is in control of their own weight.” 

“This won’t be any different than the last time.”
         “I succeed because I am determined and focused on my end goal.” 

“I hate diets!”
         “I love feeling light and lean and healthy.” 

“I have no willpower.”
         “I choose to be in control of what I eat.” “I find it easy to make healthy food choices.” 

“Why bother, I’m only going to gain it back again.”
         “I will succeed and this will be the last weight loss program I will ever have to do.” 

“Who am I fooling; this is just the way I am.”
          “I am in control of how much I weigh and how much I eat.” 

“I HAVE to have my chocolate.” (Or caramel lattes, or bread, or wine... you fill in the blank)
          “I choose to eat chocolate in moderation when it fits with my eating plan.” 

“Oh what the heck; I’ve had one cookie and I’ve blown my diet so I might as well have another.”
          “I am not perfect and I choose to get back on course to my goal." 

“I HAVE TO lose some weight!”
          “On (date), I will weigh (#) pounds.” 

“I hate exercise.”
          “I am healthy and energetic.” “I enjoy being outside and walking on a beautiful day.”

 

Are you beginning to see how we can sabotage our own best efforts and place road blocks in our way? And alternately how we can support our efforts and make the path an easier one to travel?
 

“I just can’t seem to get ahead.”
           “I am responsible and hardworking and I will achieve the results that I need."

“I always have more month than money.”
           “I allocate my funds sensibly for the necessities in my life.” 

“I wish I didn’t have to go to work.”
           “Today I will be one day closer to my goal of financial freedom.” 

“I’ll never get out of debt.”
           “I am diligent about spending my money wisely.” 

“It must be nice to be rich; I’ll never have enough money to live the way I want to.”
           “I have all that I need and I am capable of earning as much as I desire.”

"I'll never be one of those really successsful people." 
            "I know that if I perservere I can be as successful as I want to be."

"It's too late in life for me even think about being rich."
             "I am smarter and wiser than I ever was before and I will experience success; one step at a time."  

Look closely at these statements.

Notice that one has the mindset of “I have to”, or “I’m lacking”, or “it’s beyond my control”; and the alternate puts YOU in charge - not others, not fate, not circumstances. One brings about feelings of guilt or hopelessness, and the other defines purpose and positive intent.

If you want things to change in your life; you can make them change. It might not always be easy; it might not happen as quickly or in the exact manner you want it to. But you absolutely will get closer and closer to the change that you want to see by initially taking charge of your thoughts. It’s a huge first step; and a necessary one. But one that will ultimately remove so many obstacles that you might not have even realized were there to begin with.

“Dream; and give yourself permission to envision a “you”
  that you choose to be.”
                                                                    Joy Page 

 

The question is: do you want to do it the easy way or not?

It might seem like a simple and maybe silly question; of course we all want to take the easiest path! But sometimes when the answer might seem so blatantly obvious after we know it; before we come to that realization it can remain stubbornly hidden.

There is an old joke about a reporter interviewing the Chief of a psychiatric hospital about how they assess the mental health of patients: 

"Well, we fill up a bathtub, and then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the person to empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I understand," said the reporter. "A healthy person would use the bucket because it is bigger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No..." says the doctor. "A healthy person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window or the door?"
 

We might chuckle at this because we didn’t think of the drain at first either... and that’s because we weren’t provided with that option. Many times we don’t see all of our options at first and just go with “what’s on the table” or “what we have always done”, and then we wonder why our results aren’t different! Examining, and then modifying our thoughts is a way of exploring our options and creating a different, more successful outcome.
 

Remember: See it; say it, and it will eventually become your reality.
Even if you don't believe what you are saying yet; even if you feel silly saying it. 
Everything we do starts first as a thought; as an idea, as an intention.

Remember the lemon; your subconscious mind cannot tell the difference.

Now this alone will not make your goals happen, you still need to do the necessary work and effort. But it most definitely will send you in the right direction toward success!
 

So, would you like to make your weight loss journey easier?

Would you really like to improve your finances?
 

 Make sure that the messages you give yourself are what you want them to be!

 If you want to lose weight; if you want to become prosperous:
 Give yourself messages that support what you want, and do not reinforce what you don’t want.

 If it sounds simple; it is.

The challenging part is to catch yourself and correct and replace those negative and self-limiting messages. And that is an ongoing work-in-progress that you will get better and better at the more you practice. Watch for future articles that will provide you with ideas that can help you take control of your thoughts... and your reality.

Xyngular and Limitless Potential Weight Loss can help you with your weight loss and financial goals. And the more success you experience, the more every part of you will believe that you really do have the potential to reach your goals. And the more you truly believe; the more likely it is that your behaviour and choices will reflect that belief, and then your goals will in fact become your wonderful new reality!

Anita

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale