Be-Do-Have
Well said by Dawna Markova in her book I Will Not Die an Unlived Life, “most of the Western world is caught up in doing, doing, doing-we have become trained to do in order to have so that maybe in some distant time we can be. This is all backward.”
I spent time with a friend recently who shared a renewed desire to lose weight. She expressed coming to the realization that she didn’t feel good about herself and how much this had to do with her weight. From the angle she was looking at it, if she did what she needed to do to have the body she wanted then she would be happy and feel good about herself. And I was reminded of the above quote.
My suggestion is that we learn to start from the end. The goal is never simply weight loss; it’s having and being what we think the weight-loss will provide. Perhaps what we desire is the experience of being in love with ourselves, happy and healthy, light and free, or powerful and strong. Whatever it is you desire and imagine at the end, start being it now! Why “weight” to delight in yourself, to be a powerful or healthy person? Let yourself imagine what someone who is healthy and happy (you) would choose to do today, this week? Perhaps go for a long walk, begin an exercise program, get a massage, go to yoga, meet a friend for lunch at your favorite healthy restaurant, follow a food program that works for you, eat a light dinner, skip dessert or eat it and feel good about it?
These are the 2 simple steps I offer:
Take some time this week to think about what you imagine being at the end, once you meet your goals, weight-loss related or otherwise. See yourself as that person today. Try it on as an affirmation, i.e. tell yourself over and over again, I AM a healthy person. I AM a person who loves myself. I AM a strong and powerful human being. I AM someone who makes choices with clarity and ease. Feel free to come up with more than one. Maybe even share what you come up with someone close to you. I, and I think others would love to hear the statements you come up with. Feel free to comment here too.
Next, what would someone who is THAT do? Play with letting yourself live and breathe into the possibility of whatever it is you imagine for yourself and have fun doing it. If it feels like a drag, either you’re still not feeling it and need more time to let your affirmations sink in, or take some time to come up with an action that lines up better with who you know you really are.
