This is a sign to me that I need to look at my thinking around what’s happening. My reaction says a heck of a lot more about me than it does anyone—or anything—else.

One of the things I’ve noticed is that people tend to hold on to their complaints, believing that their thinking the situation should be different, or someone else should behave differently will somehow make those changes happen.

What is actually happening is you are negatively impacting your mental, physical, and spiritual wellness.

Your negative thoughts are generating catabolic energy that releases the stress hormone cortisol, adrenaline, and other chemicals that literally can cannibalize your body. They break down your immune system, stress your heart, and impact your muscles. Over time, this catabolic energy can cause everything from painful trigger points in your shoulders, to inflammation, to heart attacks. It can even impact your metabolism and other weight-related systems making it easier to gain and harder to release weight.

Your complaining is literally weighing you down!

When you “lighten up” emotionally by allowing yourself to relax, smile, laugh, and enjoy life you are making it easier for your body to “lighten up.”

When you lighten up emotionally, you are allowing your body to work for you down to the cellular level. Choosing a more constructive and positive anabolic reaction releases endorphins and body supporting hormones that help your body heal, rebuild, and flow with physical energy. And yes, make it easier to release excess weight.

Here’s a tip. To change your response, change your perception of who you are in relationship to what is happening.

Remind yourself that you are capable of dealing with the situation. Be confident in its resolution. Open your mind to the solutions. Be flexible and willing to look at things from another point of view.

You are much more powerful than you realize. You absolutely have the ability to change your response. All it takes is a slight mental shift in how you see yourself, the situation, and the people involved.

Now when you catch yourself complaining about anyone or anything, recognize the negative impact it’s having on your body. Pay attention to what you are doing to your own wellness.

Reach for a new thought about yourself—who you are, what you are capable of, and what you deserve.

How does that impact how you physically and mentally feel? How does your more positive response improve the situation?

Together we can do it!

In Friday’s blog I sketched out a plan to navigate the food and drink from the celebratory weekend so that come Monday morning, I would feel good body, mind, and spirit, and be back on the healthy track.

I am happy to report that I feel fabulous!

As I sit to write this blog, my workout is complete and my healthy meal plan resumed. I also had an amazing time with my folks who came to town to help celebrate, and I thoroughly enjoyed all that we ate and drank.

While I definitely ate more than unusual, I did practice reasonable moderation and didn’t go crazy. I don’t feel the least bit deprived. In fact, I feel thoroughly feted.

While I didn’t follow my plan exactly, I did find it extremely helpful to have thought out what I wanted to do, and to reach out to you fabulous readers for accountability. Remembering that I was going to have to report back to you was a great curb to going back for seconds on desserts, or ordering a second cocktail.

But here’s the real key—I definitely had some splurges and I wasn’t perfect. It would be easy to beat myself up over those. But instead, I’m choosing to look at all the times I did push back from the table, stopped at one glass of wine, and got my planned workouts in.

Building on small successes generates positive momentum that moves you towards your goal.

Focusing on the negative—as I used to always do—drains your momentum and zaps your energy, which means you are more likely to go ahead and keep eating because all is lost anyway.

Not only did focusing on the positive help me maintain a reasonable level of moderation, it helped me maintain my mental and emotional energy over the weekend, and as a result I had one of the best visits with my family that I can recall. It was relaxed, loving, and fun.

It hasn’t always been this way. They didn’t change—I did.

Here are my wins from the weekend:

• Got in both my planned workouts
• Had a wonderful visit with my folks
• Was loving and appreciative of my awesome husband
• I never let myself get too hungry
• Where I could, I made healthier choices (gluten free crackers and chips, sauces on the side, the entrée with more vegetables, etc.)
• Often shared meals or packed up half to take home
• Limited alcohol
• Was mindful of getting full
• Savored what I was eating
• Savored the delicious moments with my family

What can you do to shift your focus from where you weren’t perfect to what you did well? How do you think building on small successes and feeling that positive momentum will help you move towards your wellness goal?

Together we can do it!

Think about how much you get done when you are excited, eager, and looking forward to something. Now think about how hard it is to make progress when you are dreading something, don’t want to do it, resent it, etc.

While you can move forward and get stuff done while you are feeling negative catabolic emotions, consciously shifting to positive anabolic thoughts before you begin a task is like putting on rocket boosters.

And not only is your power to get things done greater, but it’s easier and more fun.

Most of what makes day-to-day living “hard” are just your mental habits. You have  thoughts about how hard it is to get up and go to work that you have repeated for so long that you don’t even realize there’s another way to look at it. You have practiced dreading Mondays. You have developed a mental rut on many topics that are not serving you.

These are just some catabolic habits of thought you have going on. Thoughts are made of energy, not marble. They can be changed!

Why do you want to go to the trouble of creating positive, life-building anabolic mental habits, you might ask?

Because anabolic thoughts result in emotions that feel good. Those emotions make your heart sing. When you are feeling anabolic emotions, you know that things are always working out for you. When there’s a problem, you see the solution. You laugh more. You relax more. You are happy to be alive.

All you have to do is create some new mental habits.

And here’s a bonus. Creating anabolic mental habits makes creating healthy physical habits easier. So instead of hating to work out, you enjoy it. You love the taste of fresh vegetables. You easily make the decision to turn off the T.V. and go to bed so you will wake up rested and refreshed. It’s easy. It feels like the choice you want to make.

One way to create new mental habits is to tap into anabolic energy before you do something.

Here are some quick and easy ways to change the energy of your thinking and create new mental habits:

• Take 3 to 10 deep breaths
• Meditate, quiet your mind, pray, or center
• Take a nap
• Take a bath or hot shower
• Read some inspiring quotes
• Look at pictures of cute animals or things you love
• Look out a window and focus on a tree, bird, or other bit of nature
• Create a list of all the things you love or appreciate and read it
• Journal
• Light a candle and focus on the flickering flame for a few minutes
• Count your blessings
• Think of other explanations for the situation
• Think about how you want to feel, or how something you are working towards will make you feel
• Pet your dog or cat
• Let yourself believe that a solution is possible

These are things to do before you do your workout, before you make that phone call, before you write that email, before you do anything–especially anything that you have developed a negative pattern of thought about.

Often people will use the excuse that they don’t have time to practice anabolic thinking. Truly, you don’t have time not to! By taking a few minutes on the front end to shift your energy, you will more than make up with ease and efficiency, and have fewer problems resulting from your catabolic approach to clean up.

And the more you practice anabolic thoughts and energy, the easier and more fun your life becomes. And the more anabolic mental habits you create.

What is one thing you can begin to do regularly to shift your mental habits? What difference does that make in creating the body—and life—of your dreams?

Together we can do it!

Would you let go of doubt?

Would you let go of fear?

Would you give it your all knowing that what you put energy into is guaranteed to succeed?

Would you see the opportunities in obstacles instead of giving up?

What if all that’s keeping you from creating the body—and life—of your dreams is doubt and fear that results in you subtly holding yourself back and giving up too soon?

If you knew your success was guaranteed, would you be willing to give it your all?

If you knew the entire Universe was on your side, would you pick yourself up and keep going when things got hard?

If you knew you were worthy of receiving everything you want, would you expect to see it?

That’s how close you are to the healthy, slim, and sexy body of your dreams.

All it takes is spending more time focused on what you want, what you want to do and why you want to do it, and how you want to feel. And then putting that energy behind your actions.

You are responsible for the “reality” of your life. Focus on what you want, do the work, and allow All-That-Is (God, The Universe, Source Energy, Higher Coach—whatever works for you) to support you, answer your prayers, bring forth the life of your dreams.

How much fun you have along the way is up to you.

What can you do to practice feeling confident, assured, and supported? Begin to look for and expect your success.  How does that impact your actions–and results?

Together we can do it!

While I don’t have the answer to that one, I can tell you the thought or belief comes before the experience.

If you can accept that as true at least the majority of the time, it can change your life. Even if you are just willing to believe it’s possible and will look at some of your life experiences differently as a result, it can have a profound impact on your happiness—and how well you achieve your goals.

Most people are unwilling to see their past experiences with any other interpretation than the one they gave it in the moment and have been recounting for years. They think, “That experience was hurtful to me. End of story.”

But what if it’s not? What if it’s your very interpretation that is keeping that painful experience alive for you? That is limiting you? That is holding you back from the body and life of your dreams?

Don’t believe me?

I’ll give you an example of how I shifted an interpretation of a painful experience to one that now inspires me and fills me with appreciation.

When I was in the 7th grade, my brother called me “Buffalo Butt.”

Now this is typical older brother stuff, right?

But to me, that nickname was incredibly hurtful. I felt diminished. For many, many years I carried the belief in my heart that my bum was unattractive, unworthy, less than, and that was the painful story I told myself and believed to my core.

But what if you take the emotional pain and judgment out of the picture for a moment and look at the experience as a gauge of where my thoughts and beliefs were before he made the comment?

What if it was my existing low self-esteem and self-critical thoughts that inspired my brother to make that joke? And what if that comment was totally and purely like having a mirror held up to me of what I already had going on in my head?

Now my brother is not someone who is intentionally trying to hurt me. In fact, his reflection back to me of my existing thoughts and beliefs was actually an opportunity for me to get awareness and change my thoughts.

Now I’m no longer the victim. I’m the creator. I’m in the driver seat. I am empowered.

And the beautiful thing is I was still able to take advantage of that opportunity almost 30 years later when I reflected back on that experience with this new perspective.

What a gift his comment was!  At 13, I was completely in the self-critical weeds and his joke was a perfect reflection of what was already going on in my head.

When I take my brother out of the equation, not only do I let go of long-standing grudges against him (which benefits me down to the cellular level, by the way), I can also change my thinking about myself.

Of course I didn’t have an ugly tush at 13. I can recognize the insecurity for what it was and right now, I can give my 13-year-old-self all the love, acceptance, and appreciation that I wanted in the moment. And if my having an ugly behind was not true at 13, then it is not true now. All that’s ever held me back was my own thoughts and beliefs.

And that right there is like I had a time machine and went back and changed that experience. The past is now and forever altered in my mind.

Once I made that shift, the love and appreciation I had for my body surged. And those new thoughts and beliefs are now creating my current—and future experiences.

And I’ve seen my body change as a result.

How can you begin to see those painful past experiences as purely a reflection of where your thoughts and beliefs were in the moment?

Begin to use them as your gauge of how well you are lining up your thoughts and beliefs with your desires. If you aren’t getting the reflection back that you want, know that you have the power to change your thoughts and beliefs and get a different experience–past, present, and future.

Together we can do it!

Many women look in the mirror and see nothing but their flaws. They aren’t comfortable in their bodies, even with their partners in the privacy of their own bedrooms. They judge how they look way more harshly than anyone else.

How likely is your body going to maintain its youth, vigor, wellness, and well-being if you abuse it with your thoughts and words? How well does a child flourish in such an environment? How healthy are your relationships when you do nothing but subject the other to constant criticism?

Starving your body of nutrient rich-foods and undertaking minimal movement are just the symptoms of the mental and emotional treatment you are heaping on your body. How well are you going to treat something that you hate, loath, despise, or are ashamed of?

As many teachers will tell you, the answer is to love your body. When you love your body, you want to take care of it. You appreciate it. And the positive, anabolic energy you provide it allows your body to rebuild, regenerate, and remain vital and alive.

When you have experienced long-term body shame, however, trying to go immediately to loving your body feels like a big fat lie. It’s almost laughable. It feels so foreign; it’s just not a habit you can develop easily.

Begin small.

Start by finding one thing about your body you can appreciate. Maybe it’s your tongue. You taste foods well. You are articulate and able to communicate with it. Your tongue never lets you down.

After a few days of appreciating your tongue—even for just 1 minute a day—then find something else about your body to appreciate. Perhaps your hard-working hands. Your hands are going non-stop every day. From throwing off your covers in the morning to picking up your coffee cup, to holding your child—your hands are helping you in so many ways.

Slowly build up so that you can appreciate every part of your body.

You appreciate your toes for providing you balance, and your feet for supporting your body weight each step of every day.

You appreciate your ankles, calves, knees, thighs, and hips for their strength, support, and flexibility as you move about—walking, sitting, standing.

You appreciate your abs, waist, and core for supporting you while you bend and reach. You appreciate your chest as it expands with lungfuls of life-giving air.

You appreciate your back, shoulders, and arms as you lift and carry everything from a sock to groceries, and for the ability to hug and embrace.

You appreciate your neck for supporting your head, and your mouth, throat, and tongue for enabling you to tell your partner you love them. You appreciate your eyes for helping you see the world and for how they reflect your spirit. You appreciate your brain for enabling you to think, and your body to function.

When you get to the point where you can appreciate each and every part of your body—even those parts that you typically judge as “gross” or that aren’t working as well as you would like—then you will know you have mastered loving your body. It will then be easy to look in the mirror and say, “I love you”—and mean it.

Did you notice that everything you were appreciating was about what your body gives to you? It wasn’t about how good you look in a pair of jeans, or how another might judge you. It was about functioning with wellness and well-being. It was about acknowledging the gifts that your body is giving you every moment of every day.

What difference do you think loving your body from head to toe makes in how you treat yourself—and others? How much easier might it be to get up and go for a walk or reach for an apple instead of a cookie? How much more physical and emotional energy might you have?

How does letting go of body shame help you move towards the life of your dreams?

Together we can do it!

In the past, my default setting has been to get stressed. To get so focused on all that I had to do that not only did I become harsh with myself, but I was sharp and unpleasant to the very people who were helping with the preparations. (Sorry about that honey!)

I’m getting much better at steadily moving ahead to achieve realistic goals with ease and grace. I’m seeing the power of focusing on being gentle and kind in my thoughts and words–to myself and others–and eeking out every ounce of pleasure that can be found in each moment, from the preparations to the time with friends (and dogs as this will be a gathering of all of our Keeshond companions, as well.)

Buffy (left) and Willow are relaxed and eager to spend tonight with three other Keeshonden and a Pomeranian–as well as their respective humans.

People often feel like they don’t have time to be mindful and relaxed when faced with a deadline.

But why does feeling horrible automatically equate with being more productive?

What I’m finding is that moving forward deliberately instead of rushing, and focusing on how I want to feel in the moment—rather than just defaulting to how I have just always reacted—certainly does not take away from my productivity. It actually seems to help me accomplish more than I planned.

Even if how much I get done is the same, it sure feels a heck of a lot better!

So tell your inner task master to ease up. Put the incredible power of your attention on what you are doing in the moment—and enjoy the heck out of that. Find and feel the confidence that everything that needs to get done, will.

And then see how much fun you can have throughout the process of getting all the preparatory work done. The fun doesn’t have to begin the moment your friend’s push the doorbell. The fun you have getting ready also makes the time you have with friends that much richer.

What can you do to practice being gentle with yourself, moving with ease and grace, and softening your thoughts and words? How does that help you achieve your goals? How much better does that feel?

Together we can do it!

Photo by Hansje Gold-Krueck

It was my normal practice to think about all the things about my day—and life—that I appreciated as I was drifting off to sleep.

But recently, I’ve shifted to thinking about the coming day and envisioning how I wanted each thing I had planned to go, and how that would feel.

Here’s a sample:

I think about how when I wake up rested and refreshed I feel eager to begin my day. And the appreciation I have for the small black cat who is snuggled up against me when I wake, and the appreciation for the comfort of the bed, and the satisfaction of having David beside me. I think about how getting up on time makes the morning feel easy, and gives me time to feel efficient and connected as I take care of the dogs and check my email. I think about how strong and flexible my body feels as I work out and how energized I feel afterwards. I think about how writing an inspired blog makes me feel vital and alive.

And I just go through the plan I have for the day feeling how I want it to feel. It doesn’t take long, and focusing on how I want to feel as I envision feels amazing! It’s delicious, it’s magical, it’s divine!

When I wake up, I then look for and tap into the eager feeling I anticipated, and so on throughout my day.

What’s been fun is then watching what feels like gifts from the Universe show up. Workshop opportunities have fallen in my lap. Clients have appeared. Even David calling last night offering to bring home my favorite Thai food.

More things that make me feel eager, appreciative, satisfied, energized, etc., etc. (And yes, even the small things count!)

One of those gifts was this video arriving in my inbox this week from Abraham-Hicks that took my process and amped it!

http://youtu.be/liSklJMz_BY

You are more powerful than you can imagine. Every moment of every day you are creating your life through your thoughts and emotions.

If you don’t like where you are, envision how you want life to be—and feel it fully.

How do you want your day to feel? How do you want your body to feel? How does being slim feel? How delicious is it to feel that way right now? What new experience do you have that feels that same way? Appreciate that!

Congratulations! You are now consciously creating your life.

It really is that simple.

Together we can do it!

DELICIOUS adj \di-ˈli-shəs\

1: affording great pleasure : delightful

2: appealing to one of the bodily senses especially of taste or smell

Merriam-Webster

Why do you eat?

For very few people is it just to give their bodies the vital nutrients they need to sustain life.

For women who struggle with their weight, eating is often their primary source of pleasure, comfort, satisfaction, and even experience of love.

This is why diets cause such feelings of deprivation.

Who wants to live a life void of pleasurable feelings? Certainly not me!

And you don’t have to!

All that’s happened is that over time—and for a variety of valid reasons—you have shut yourself off from sources of satisfaction, comfort, and love because they have also been sources of pain, dissatisfaction, and loneliness.

The lover who broke your heart, the friend who betrayed you, the parent or boss who tried to control you sent you to the one obvious and consistent source of comfort—food.

It was a totally normal reaction. Food is delicious. It’s pleasurable, satisfying, and comforting. And it’s easy.

But it’s also betrayed you.

It’s caused you to gain weight. It’s negatively impacted your health. It’s momentary comfort is completely outweighed by the overwhelming feelings of guilt and self-loathing that it now causes.

It’s no longer giving you what you were seeking in the first place—those pleasurable feelings.

It’s time to begin looking for these feelings in the only place they will be given consistently. From the only place you can truly count on them being there 100 percent of the time, no matter what you do, say, or be. Where you know you are absolutely loved and adored.

The Source of pleasure, satisfaction, comfort, nourishment, and love is All-That-Is (God, the Universe, Higher Coach—whatever works for you). And your thoughts are what help you tune into these feelings—or not.

No one else is “making” you feel anything. It was not your boyfriend who made you feel unworthy—it was because you believed him.

Thoughts of your unworthiness feel so bad because they are not true. In the eyes of All-That-Is, you are utterly and completely perfect.

But because you have taken the word of a lot of people with limited perspectives over the knowing of All-That-Is, you have pretty well convinced yourself that you are unworthy. You may even have a strong negative reaction to the very idea that you are perfect.

Remember the infant “You” that was in your mother’s arms? Would you judge the infant “You” as anything other than perfect? Would you ever have been “bad” if someone else who had been told they were “bad” hadn’t perpetuated the inaccurate assessment?

Most of what was judged “bad” by others was simply eagerness, exuberance, and joy that was seen as inappropriate by someone who you believed knew better than you.

When your thoughts about yourself are in agreement with what All-That-Is knows about you, your heart sings. You love life. You love other people. You want to give generously. You want to receive all the gifts that life is offering.

Life is delicious, not just food.

At first, changing your thinking feels like walking out on a lake that has frozen over in winter. You aren’t sure how stable and solid the ice is. You don’t trust if it will really support you.

You begin by tentatively sticking a toe out and testing the strength of the ice. If that holds, you then add the weight of your whole foot, and slowly, you venture out further and further until you know that the ice is so strong, you could drive a car out on to it. Once you know how solid and stable it is, you then frolic freely.

So start with thoughts that are the equivalent of tapping your toe to test the ice.

Gratitude is a great place to start. Begin being grateful for the small things in your life that are stable and solid, such as your pillow as you go to sleep, the comfort of a hot shower, the feel of a soft shirt on your skin.

As you practice those thoughts and get more comfortable, begin to look for and savor life experiences that give you pleasure, comfort, satisfaction, and love. Fill up on those experiences instead of food.

For me, having a client experience an “a-ha” moment is absolutely delicious. I feel satisfied when I wake up with a kitty snuggled and purring in the crook of my arm. I savor moments of laughter with my husband. I am nourished by the wind blowing through the leaves as I walk in nature. I feel comfort in quiet moments with friends and family.

Life is juicy and delicious. How can you begin to look for and feel for each and every luscious moment? How does your finding more satisfaction in life change your need to seek comfort from food?

Together we can do it!

There’s a lot of advice out there saying you have to jump into action to spur the forces of the Universe to work on your behalf.

And that’s kinda sorta true.

It is true that you will never get fit sitting on your sofa.

But, why are some people joyfully working out and some feel unmotivated to get off the sofa?

Because the momentum for action begins way before the moment comes to get off the sofa and just do it.

There is a build up of energy from thoughts, emotions, and beliefs behind the action or inaction. And willpower alone is often not enough to break out of the energetic pattern you have created.

For instance, if you have spent a heck of a lot of time thinking about how much you hate exercise, you hate sweating, you hate your body, you hate how your body feels when it moves, etc., etc., getting up off the sofa will take Herculean effort.

Not doing the internal work to shift this existing energetic momentum is why so many diet and exercise programs fail.

When you think about the underlying principle that “Energy Attracts Like Energy” (also known at the Law of Attraction), being overly focused on where you are—or where you have been—just keeps summoning similar experiences, situations, and people so that your results never seem to change.

In other words, you just don’t have the mental and physical energy to get off the sofa or maintain your action if you are able to get started–even if you desperately want to.

This can lead to frustration, disillusionment, and even giving up on achieving your goals.

How do you begin to slow down and change the momentum of the internal energetic patterns you have going on? 

This is the missing link to losing weight once and for all.

You begin by thinking about all the reasons you do want to workout instead of all the reasons you don’t.

You tap into how being fit, strong, and slim will feel, and allow yourself to feel that way right now.

It’s giving yourself a heck of a lot of kudos, support, and appreciation when you do get off the sofa, even if it’s just to take the dog around the block.

It’s being OK with doing what you can do, and looking forward to doing a little bit more tomorrow.

It’s looking at the examples of others who have been where you are and have been successful at meeting similar goals so you begin to believe you can do it, too.

It’s staying focused on all the reasons you do want to make the changes and how awesome the end result will feel.

It’s ignoring your fearful inner voice that tries to convince you that the safety of right now is where you want to stay.

And this is where faith comes in.

It’s letting yourself believe that the Universe (God, Source, All-That-Is, Higher Coach—whatever works for you) is on your side, regardless of your current experience.

It’s a willingness to let yourself be optimistic and to feel good now, even when your situation hasn’t changed.

It’s accepting where you are, without letting go of your goals.

It’s an unshakable belief that what you want is absolutely and completely yours and on its way to you, and letting go of any evidence to the contrary.

It’s ignoring naysayers, and being brave enough to think and believe something different from the crowd.

It’s looking inside for the answers and embracing your own internal light.

As you practice these new thoughts, emotions, and beliefs, you begin to notice that it easier to get off the sofa and go walk for 10 minutes. Soon you want to run a mile. And once you get the energetic momentum going, you realize you’re one of those people who is joyfully working out.

What can you do today to change your energetic momentum? How can you practice that again tomorrow? How does this impact your energy to take action?

Together we can do it!

Are your actions moving you towards what you want, or away from it?

For instance, if you want more wellness and a slimmer waistline, but you habitually snack on sweets every afternoon, your actions are moving you away from what you want.

What do you want more; snacking on sweets or slimness? If your higher priority is being slim, and you believe eating sweets to be counter to that, than clearly you will have to choose a different afternoon snack.

The snag that keeps people from letting go of the sweets is it feels like an “all or nothing” choice. But choosing a leaner and healthier afternoon snack doesn’t mean you will never get to eat sweets again. It just means that more often than not, you are going to align your actions with your goals.

And here is the surprise. Even though you are giving up the small pleasure of enjoying a sweet every afternoon, aligning your actions with your true goals results in a surge of joy that is way more powerful than that momentary pleasure.

It feels so good to be Who you want to be!

Most people don’t realize the internal conflict it sets up in themselves to consistently act in a way that is incongruent with Who they say they want to be. Your inner two-year-old may throw a momentary fit at giving up the candy bar, but you are effectively shutting yourself off from your life-force when your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs are out of alignment with your goals.

You know you are doing this when you feel guilt, self-criticism, discouragement. These emotions are like warning bells going off letting you know that you are powerfully asking All-That-Is for something—wellness and a trim body—but are actively thwarting the delivery of that gift.

Those chronic negative, catabolic emotions are way more detrimental to your body than the temporary dust-up caused by telling yourself “No” to a candy bar. Consistently assaulting your body with destructive catabolic energy literally eats away at your cells.

The bottom line is you are not going to feel good if your thoughts, beliefs, and actions are not in alignment with your goals.

Being proud of yourself for sticking to your eating plan, and the joy of having a body that looks and feels good actually generates positive, anabolic energy that supports you in achieving your goals, and begins a cycle that makes it easier to choose an apple over a candy bar.

Examine your habits. Are your actions supporting your goals? Where do you need to make new decisions that reflect your priorities? How different does that feel?

Together we can do it!

Does it involve a certain body weight or shape? A certain wellness level? When you look in the mirror do you see your definition of beauty smiling back?

I often hear clients focused on wanting to change how others see women and judge beauty. There is much frustration that women on television and in ads are significantly thinner than average. People point to pundits’ criticisms of specific bodies. There are many photos of past sex symbols who were less than lean tied to complaints about the changing definition of beauty.

But how likely is it that you are going to change society, or the modeling, television, or advertising industries?

Wouldn’t it be easier to focus on your own judgments and definition of beauty?

Until you are so pure in your appreciation of every woman’s body and beauty that a critical thought is never entertained, until your actions align 100 percent with your personal definition of wellness, and you can look in the mirror with not only appreciation but adoration, you have no power to change anyone else.

You may want others to deem you—or more women—as beautiful, but before that can happen, you must judge yourself as beautiful first. And you must allow everyone else to have their own definition of beauty.

This is the sticking point for most women. You have to stop looking outside of you for self-esteem, appreciation, and acceptance. Those are things you have to give to yourself.

It is only when you began making these internal changes that you will begin to see lasting external changes.

To do this, you have to begin:

• Letting go of the fear of other people’s judgments.
• Aligning your actions with your beliefs and desires.
• Looking for and appreciating your beauty and innate value—body, mind, and spirit

Instead of trying to change others, how would it feel to examine your own judgments and definition of beauty? How could you begin to align more fully with that?

The best way to change the world is to change how you see yourself.

Together we can do it!

Hello there and welcome, I’m Bob Proctor.

I recently lost a very good friend of mine, Adele Claxton. Roy and Del were good friends and they were very good to me and Del just recently passed away.

I flew out to California where they were holding a celebration of her life. And I thought, what a wise move. You know we’ve got into the habit of having funerals where people sit around and they feel bad about the loss. In the celebration of life we feel good about all the great things Del did and how she helped so many people.

I had an opportunity to speak for a few minutes at it and I was saying that her beautiful personality lives on in her daughters Lorrie and Celeste. Nothing really dies.

I got thinking of all the studying that I have done, all the religion, it doesn’t matter what religion it is. There is no such thing as death. If you study science, nothing is created or destroyed. Think about that for a moment. The soul moves out of the body and it goes on to the next phase of its eternal journey.

I have been asked two or three times on conference calls where we were doing coaching. “How do you handle the grief when you lose someone?”

I said, a certain amount of grief is healthy but then you need to get on and celebrate that person’s life. Understand that person may be gone physically but they are not gone spiritually. You see, even the physical body doesn’t die. If you look at the body through a microscope you see it moving right before your eyes. How would it ever change to dust otherwise?

There is no such thing as death. Birth and death as we know it are both transitions. We move into this body and we will most certainly move out of it.

I have been asked so often that I thought I would turn my thoughts into a Friday story. If you have lost someone close to you, stop and realize that they are on the next phase of their eternal journey. If they could speak to you and they probably would like to, they would probably share with you the words of the poet, where he said, “If you could see where I went you will wonder why you ever wept.”

You see I have been into the non-physical part of our life for a long time. I just decided I was going to do this maybe to help you understand it a little better. Maybe you can share this with a loved one who has just lost a loved one. They may be gone physically but I can assure you they are here in spirit.

Bob Proctor

http://bobproctor.com/celebrationoflife

It is reminding me of the importance of living in the moment.

Each of my friends has been an amazing example of giving and being present. They have stepped up and fully expressed their love and support in time, words, and actions.

How many of us are able to say goodbye without the regret of having left anything unsaid or undone?

Life is precious and we are not always able to consciously be present with the people we love, or to remember to live our own lives as fully as possible. Too often we are worried about the future or are stewing about the past.

Only when you are present can you fully experience the moment-to-moment opportunity to learn, grow, and expand—and reach for more joy and fulfillment.

The key is to not wait for “bad” things to happen to learn these lessons, but to take it upon yourself to practice being present right now.

Here are some ways to practice being in the moment:

• Notice each bite of your next meal. How does the food feel on your tongue? What are the flavors? How slowly can you finish it?
• Breathe. Take three slow, deep breaths. Pay attention to how the air feels as it’s moving in and out of your lungs. What sensation follows your breaths?
• Listen. The next conversation you have with the person you love the most, listen more than you talk. Look at their body language. Listen to the words they are using. Watch their facial expressions. What’s going on with them beneath the surface?
• Tell someone how much they mean to you. If this was your last conversation, what would you want to leave them knowing? Do they know how much you love them?
• Totally focus on a task. Whether it’s finishing up a project at work or doing the dishes, pay attention to the sensation of your hands, the colors you are seeing, the sequence of actions. Notice what you are doing as you are doing it.

Today is the only August 2, 2012, that you get. How can you be present and fully experience it?

This moment is a gift that you cannot barter, return, or exchange. No matter what is going on in your life, fully experience right now. What difference does that make in how you think, feel, and live your life?

Together we can do it!

In both instances, you move in the direction you want to go and when you feel discomfort, you stop pushing, relax, and breathe.

In stretching your body, you move until you feel physical discomfort, and then you stop and breathe into it. As you relax and breathe, the muscles begin to release. As you repeat this over time, your muscles become more flexible and you can reach further until you have a new physical limit. From this new place, you stop pushing, relax, and breathe.

When shifting beliefs, you stretch your thoughts and mind towards Who you want to be or the life you want to create until you feel emotional discomfort.

This may start out as reaching for a thought of gratitude. That for this instant, you can relax and breathe, and be grateful for being right where you are.

As you practice that, you may then be able to reach for the belief that you are forgiven. That all the hurts you imposed and horrible things you have said and done are absolved.

And as you practice the belief that you are forgiven, you may then stretch your thoughts to see situations in the past differently so that you can forgive others.

You may then reach for compassion—for others and yourself. You may reach for the belief that not only are you forgiven, but you are accepted. And as you get comfortable with your acceptance you may reach for the belief that you are loved and adored exactly as you are. That you are worthy of good things happening in your life, not because of what you do, but because of Who you are.

As you practice the belief that you are loved, you then may practice appreciating your life and every experience you have ever gone through because it has helped you become Who you are and formed the basis for the absolute unique and special perspective and gifts that only you have—and that are yours to share with the world as fully as possible.

And then you may reach for joy and see the world in an absolutely new and beautiful way. You may release your judgment about other people and how they’re living their lives. You may reach for unconditional love and for absolute passion in every area of your life.

But just like stretching your body is a process, stretching your beliefs is a process, too. Trying to go from depression to joy all at once is like trying to put your head on your knees when you can only touch your shins. You begin where you are and practice.

What can you do today to move your beliefs in the direction you want to go? When you feel discomfort, stop pushing, relax, and breathe. What can you do to practice that? How can you notice and mark your progress?

Together we can do it!

This is not my practiced inclination.

But when I don’t listen to the subtle guidance I receive, it becomes much more obvious. Pain is pretty good at getting my attention.

So for the past several weeks I’ve been moving my body gently—stretching, Tai Chi. I’m more focused on loving my body than testing it.

Lately, I’ve heard many people talking about being more sensitive than usual, and I’ve heard many explanations why.

What I know for me is that this is a time for observation, contemplation, renewal, and listening. It is a time to soothe my overstimulated nervous system, and to give myself the necessary peace to revitalize.

I have to resist the temptation to yield to any sense of urgency. My muscles are not atrophying. My weight is not rebounding. My health is not deteriorating.

In fact, I have the opportunity to create a new workout and wellness program, and to get to know my body in a new way. I am choosing to see any frustration I am experiencing as the desire to learn more, expand more, dare more, and create more.

Contemplation is a part of creation. I have time to consider my options. To listen to my body and determine the direction that feels right to me now. To gather all the information I may need to start out on a new course.

Sometimes, the best action is to be quiet and listen.

Giving myself time to recover and figure out a new path is not familiar ground. In the past, my exercise switch had only two settings—off and on. Either I was working out at full intensity or I wasn’t working out at all.

So here is something in between.

I’m aware of the fear that I will lose all the fitness progress I have recently made, and I’m reminding myself that my fitness will never be “done.” My fitness—and wellness—are always in the process of becoming. There is always room for growth and improvement.

And I’m not the same person I used to be. Moving my body—even gently—feels better than not moving at all. I’m more connected to my Higher Self and more in-tune with the guidance I am receiving.

This place of rest and recovery is temporary. It is just where I am right now. There will be a time to push and progress, and I will know when it is time to pick up the pace.

I’m curious, has anyone else felt that this is a time to rest and renew? Or are you feeling invigorated and resilient? What choices are you making? What’s working best for you?

Together we can do it!

Photo by www.freedigitalphotos.net

“The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.”

Albert Einstein

What if the entire Universe is conspiring on your behalf?

What if you have tribes of Universal cheerleaders supporting you in every conceivable way?

What if no matter what may be happening in your life right now, everything is playing in your favor?

If you fully accepted that this is a friendly Universe, would you give up a little control? If you knew everything was working out for you, would you relax and let go of fear? Would you allow yourself to have more fun? Would you be open to taking more risks?

If you believe that this is a hostile Universe, letting go of control can be one of the scariest things you can do. It’s like putting yourself at the mercy of the enemy.

I know because I used to believe the Universe was out to get me.

I couldn’t get a break. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was a victim to people and situations.

It wasn’t until I began giving up control, surrendering, and trusting my well-being that I began to fully experience it.

It’s one of those dichotomy’s of life:

• You have to give up control to gain it.
• You have to feel appreciated to be able to receive the appreciation of another.
• You have to feel beautiful before you can hear and believe the compliments you are given.

Whatever you believe—the Universe will provide you evidence of that belief.

Open your mind and look for all the reasons everything is working out for you instead of all the reasons it isn’t.

Make lists of the things that are falling into place. Relax and play more. Practice accepting that this is just where you are in the journey. Expect a different outcome. Have a little faith.

As Abraham-Hicks says, “a belief is just a thought you keep thinking.” Little-by-little, step-by-step, practice believing that this is a friendly Universe.

And then enjoy the evidence of that belief.

Together we can do it!

Here’s a related blog by Terri Cole on the fear of joy. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terri-cole/fear-of-joy_b_1703103.html

By comparison, how much time do you spend thinking about all the wonderful qualities that person has, and how much they add to your life?

What focus do you have more consistently?

What would happen if you spent more time looking at them through a positive lens? How would it make you feel to spend as little as a minute every day feeling grateful for that person?

That might look like appreciating their wonderful qualities, or the things they did that were helpful, or why they are in your life, or their general and inherent value as a person on this planet. (And they have inherent value, I promise.)

Just one minute a day.

How might even that small shift in focus alter how you feel? How might it impact how you show up in the relationship? How might that shift change the dynamics of the relationship for the better?

No one else is with you in your mind. No one is forcing you to think or feel anything. If you are holding on to frustrations and irritations it is because you have your mental fist grasped tightly around thoughts of their infractions, weakness, or imperfections.

And it is because you are judging them as weak, imperfect, and full of fault. Who made you creator of the rules? Why is it that everyone else must cater to your expectations? How do you like trying to fulfill other people’s expectations and beliefs about the “right” way to do anything?

The solution is to begin to allow those things that frustrate and irritate you to run through your mind like water running through your fingers.

Just let them go.

As soon as you do, you feel lighter emotionally. You feel relief. And that new lightness is directly impacting your wellness down to your cellular level. As you let go of that stress and the negative emotions, it is you that receives the benefit—body, mind, and spirit.

Is it worth your health to let go of old anger, frustrations, and resentments that are not only hurting you, but are actually keeping you for the life and relationships you want? Is your happiness worth it? Are your relationships worth it?

Just let it go.

Do it because you are worth it, because love is worth it, because joy is worth it.

Together we can do it!

Photo by http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

Buddha

When someone does not live up to our “rules,” we feel justified in judging them as unworthy of our love. Withholding love—or out-and-out punishment—is a very common reaction when we think people are not living up to the standards we believe to be the “right” ones.

But shutting our hearts down—even for the best of reasons—does not actually punish the other person as we think it does—and it is far more detrimental to us.

The catabolic reactions are felt in our bodies, not theirs. These are the draining and destructive body processes—such as the release of stress hormones—that actually eat away at our cells.

This is why practicing forgiveness and unconditional love is so powerful. By allowing ourselves to give love—no matter what—we are providing ourselves with constructive, anabolic energy that actually heals us from the inside out.

Withholding love is something we learned—it is not our natural way of being. Look at the love and joy that flows through little children. But almost from day one, we begin giving children the lesson that if they behave in a certain way, they will make us happy and we will then love them. It doesn’t take long for children to learn that control is a part of love.

Begin to notice when you are shutting your heart down in judgment. Pay attention to how uncomfortable that feels. Recognize that it’s up to you to change your reaction—it is not up to the other person to change their behavior—even if you believe them to be “wrong.”

Where people often get stuck is feeling like loving someone anyway is the same as condoning that awful behavior. This is where it is helpful to remember that the Universe (God, Higher Power, All-That-Is–whatever works for you), is involved in that other person’s life, too, and that each of you is receiving guidance. Your job is to pay attention to your reactions and move towards the bigger part of you. Your guidance will always lead you to the best outcome for you. As soon as you begin trying to control another, you lose your true power.

Where in your life are you withholding love? What can you do today to open that door in your heart just a little bit? Notice how much better that feels.

Together we can do it!

It’s not lost on me that I’m scheduled to present information to colleagues next week on being empowered to choose our responses and twice in the past few days I have not shown up as the best possible version of me.

Yesterday, in fact, was pretty much a textbook example of first victim and then anger responses.

Good show Universe! Good show!

Seriously, I really do appreciate the mirror and the opportunity to clean up my own act. If we are not aware of how we are showing up, how can we change?

This is one of the purposes of stretching, growing, and evolving. Each step gives us the opportunity to become even more.

But it’s up to us to take that step.

I suspect I could fill you all in on the details and get at least most of you to agree that I am “right.” That my point of view is clear and logical, and that the path I point to is the “best.”

But the inner world is not the appropriate arena for consensus. Agreement will just keep me stuck in the destructive, negative catabolic emotions, and that truly benefits no one.

It negatively impacts my body, mind, and spirit. And that destructive power reaches out and brings others down with it. Righteous indignation is not the same as right. Rather, it is a sign of being out of alignment with Who you really are and that more introspection is needed.

You can think of it as a coin. On one side of the coin is the problem and on the other is the solution.

If you are stuck on the problem side of the coin, all you will see is the problem. You will talk about it, rail, and rant against it, and get people to rail and rant with you, but when you are on that side of the coin you will not see the solution.

Switching sides of the coin means switching the mindset with which you look at the problem.

Einstein expressed this beautifully when he said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Instead of looking at a problem and feeling apathy or anger, it means shifting our mindset to being hopeful, open, and curious.

So how do you shift you mindset from the problem to the solution?

Here’s the process I have gone through so far:

Distract yourself—When you are in the throes of an angry, catabolic reaction get off the topic so that you can cool down. Last night, my husband David and I chose to watch a movie so that I could focus on something else. This was great as it enabled me to go to bed and get some sleep.

Feel the emotion—When my eyes popped open at 3:30 a.m., I actually felt OK. But as soon as I turned my thoughts to the topic, the catabolic emotion sprang back to the surface in a powerful way. I got up and let myself fully feel it. Often people avoid their powerful emotions, but that just prolongs the pain and catabolic energy.

Meditate—Once I was calmed down, I was able to focus on clearing my mind, which helped raise my energy and mood.

What’s at the root?—From this more constructive, anabolic place I was able to look at what was really going on. What was I really reacting to? What made me feel the need to dig in my heels? How important was it really?

Surrender—There is nothing to gain here by holding on to my one “right” way. The sooner I let go of this, the sooner we can find the solutions.

Trust—I use Jerry Hick’s mantra that, “Everything is always working out for me.” What I really want is on its way to me. My path—and the solutions—will be clearer if I just focus on that, and let the rest unfold.

There is no one “right” way to do anything. When you surrender and release the painful emotions, the solutions will be clearer.

Together we can do it!

You may be accepting the negative messages offered by your inner critic as true. And you feel bad.

Struggling with losing and regaining the same 30 pounds over and over again is often a sign that your Gremlin has been given reign over your inner Queendom.

Symptoms of this include:

• Feeling body shame when you look in the mirror
• Being overly critical of specific body parts
• Wanting to hide under the covers when you have sex with your partner
• Feeling impatient when the weight doesn’t drop off instantly

Stop right there!

Chances are those flimsy arguments offered up by your Gremlin are totally bogus. Search your thoughts with the bright light of Truth—those Universal Truths that are true no matter who, no matter what.

Now you probably won’t be able to jump in an instant from feeling body shame to the Truth that your body is beautiful. But a feeling of relief lets you know you are headed in the right direction.

Choose a different—better feeling—thought that creates an entirely new path.

This might look like:

• Recognizing that your body is working hard to help you meet your goals. You didn’t get where you are overnight and it will take a little time to get where you want to go.
• Focusing on a body part you can praise.
• Focusing on the love you are expressing with your body.
• Having faith that your body is responding to your eating healthy and exercising. Changes are coming!

When you catch yourself feeling a negative emotion, use that as a cue to look at your thinking. If you think it’s your Gremlin talking, reason your way through its messages looking for Truth.

What better feeling thought can you choose that moves you towards your goals?

Together we can do it!

The authentic me is loving and accepting. The authentic me sees my value—and the value in each person and situation. The authentic me knows that there are no mistakes and that the diversity of people and opinions is what makes the world go round. The authentic me knows that speaking my truth with ease and grace will be a gift to others, even if it doesn’t seem like it in the moment.

If I am acting out of anger, frustration, defensiveness, fear, judgment, or condemnation, I’m not being authentically me—and I have the opportunity to make a difference choice.

The onus is on me to stay connected to my Higher Self (God, All-That-Is, Universe, Source—whatever works for you) and to pay attention if I am coming from a place of love or a place of anger, a place of appreciation or a place of fear.

One way for you to stay authentic and maintain your connection to your Higher Self in relationships—particularly if you have a history of pushing each other’s buttons—is to actively focus on all the good qualities of the other person. To literally practice seeing them in the best light.

There are a couple of ways to do this.

Create a list of all the things about the other person that you appreciate, and read and add to it every day.

Practice a visualization. See yourself bathed in a golden light that feels like joy and love, and then expand that light to include other people. First extend the light to the people you love and get along with easily. As the light grows brighter and more powerful, expand it to include more challenging people.

You may think that it’s the other person who needs to change so that you all can get along, but you are contributing just as much to the difficult dynamics. It’s up to you to show up differently.

The only person you can control is you. Choose now how you want to show up.  Practice showing up authentically.

And if you do react in a less than ideal way—as I guarantee that you sometimes will—the primary thing to do is forgive yourself. You don’t have to be perfect. Just pick yourself up and keep practicing being the best possible version of you so you show up more authentically the next time.

Together we can do it!

How do you think that impacts your actions?

Your thoughts predict the success of your actions. Meaning that if you think about how much you hate working out, getting the motivation to move will be pretty darn hard. If you spend more time thinking about all the reasons you do want to work out, then getting up and doing your workout will be easier.

Action alone is not enough. Not changing your thoughts and beliefs along with taking the action is the reason the majority of diet and exercise programs fail.

Focusing your thoughts on what you do want is a simple but profound change that will significantly alter your weight-loss results—or the results of any goal you want to achieve.

Simple, however, does not necessarily mean easy.

Most people have never contemplated the idea that they have control over their thoughts. In fact, they may believe they are victim to their thoughts.

Back to your thoughts predict the success of your actions. If you think you have no control over your thoughts, how likely are you to be able to take control? (Hint: not very!)

You may also have practiced some thoughts for a very long time about eating healthy and exercise. These thoughts may have some momentum going. Momentum means they now include your belief that you are someone who doesn’t like eating healthy foods and moving your body.

As Abraham-Hicks says, “A belief is just a thought you keep thinking.”

To change a belief you have to use another belief. For instance, you probably can’t counter the belief that you hate to exercise with the belief that you love to exercise because you don’t really believe that you love to exercise. Make sense?

Shifting a belief is best done in baby steps. In other words, you can shift your belief about hating to exercise by altering your thoughts just slightly towards what you do want. But you have to believe these new thoughts.

For example, whenever you catch yourself thinking about exercise, instead of hating it, you choose to think about how much you want to feel better. How much you like it when you can easily button your pants. How much you enjoy being strong enough to pick up your child.

You just gently and easily change your thoughts. This slows the momentum and eventually shifts your thoughts towards the direction you want to go.

Rather quickly, you begin to look forward to your workouts and how awesome you will feel afterwards. When buttoning your pants gets easy, you begin thinking about how great it will feel to wear a smaller size. When lifting your child is easy, you think about how awesome running and playing with them will feel.

And then you are more eager to work out and see improvements. Moving your body becomes your priority because it improves every aspect of your life. It gives you more energy so you do more with the time you have. You look better, feel better, and you inspire those around you.

One day your realize that you love working out. And you believe it.

Consistently thinking about all the reasons you do want to work out and eat healthy foods makes exercising and eating right easier.

What new thought can you practice today that will help move you in the direction you want to go?

Together we can do it!

How would your life be different if you could let yourself just be happy anyway? How would it be different if you could be happy on your way to losing weight, getting that job, meeting that deadline, recovering from that illness?

Every moment that you deprive yourself of feeling good is like putting yourself in jail and refusing to set yourself free, even though you have the key in your pocket.

Wouldn’t it be better to be happy now?

And if you really need a reason to be happy, what reason can you use? Regardless of what else may be going on in your life, some reasons to be happy anyway might be:

• The sun has risen.

• You are receiving these words.

• Someone somewhere loves you. (Probably a lot of someones.)

• You are alive this moment of this day.

• You have some form of nourishment available to you.

• You have clothes for your body.

• You have a body that is working well-enough for you to understand these words.

• There is an abundance of air to breathe.

• No matter what your state of wellness, your body is knocking itself out on your behalf.

• You have at least one thing that you’re really good at and enjoy doing.

• You have a lifetime of experiences that are unique to you.

• You see the world as no one else does, and your perspective is valuable.

• Even if it seems the same, this day is different from all the others that have come before.

• Streams and rivers are flowing, and ocean tides are rising and falling.

• Chances are you have an abundance of clean water to drink.

• The Earth is spinning and producing resources to support life.

• There is an abundance of beauty in the world if you will just look for it.

• The sun will set and will rise again tomorrow.

How can you add to this list? What is in your life right now that you can use as a reason to be happy? Are there people, places, or animals that you appreciate? What about your body is working for you? What do you find beautiful? Where are you abundant?

How happy are you willing to let yourself feel right now? How can you let go of whatever reason is holding you back?

Together we can do it!

The past couple of weeks have been powerful and full of opportunities, and I’ve experienced a lot of change and growth. I also have a lot on my to-do list—much of it things I really want to do and all of it I want done right now.

One of my biggest opportunities has been to practice what I preach about self-care. And a big part of self-care is listening to your body.

It’s easy for me to get caught around the axil of being goal-driven, eating prescribed meals at certain times, and doing my planned intense exercise—no matter what.

While that serves me most of the time, and I think is generally good practice, there are times when what my body (and mind!) really needs is a little kindness, to be treated gently, to be allowed to rest.

After all, if you are driving your car under wet or difficult conditions, the solution for more control is to ease up on the gas pedal, not slam your foot down.

When I don’t listen and ease up, my body will usually alert me to the need with increasing pain, which I’ve been experiencing in my knees and shoulder. If I continue to not listen, I’ll very likely wind up with an injury that will force me to rest.

Having experienced this in the past, I’m working on being more mindful and listening to my body before it gets to that breaking point.

This week, that’s looked like more sleep, easy and gentle movement, and still healthy but less rigid eating.

While my body is experiencing some relief that is letting me know this week of rest was needed, there is a part of me that is afraid if I let up on the intensity at all I will slide back into old patterns, lose the progress that I have made, and once again struggle with my weight.

It is the fear that by easing up at all, I will lose all control and before I know it, I’ll be back at square one.

Just articulating that fear feels like relief.

So I’ll ask myself what I might ask a client.

How reasonable is that fear?

I am a different person now than I even was yesterday, much less two to three years ago. I’ve come a long way, baby! Over the past three years, I’ve not only released the weight, I’ve maintained my new svelte figure. That is evidence of a new and different me.

While there is always the chance that I could fall back into old patterns, it’s not very likely. I know more. I am more. If my weight started creeping up, I would know exactly what to do about it and have lots more emotional and spiritual tools in my toolbox that would help. Plus, I’m learning more every day.

And let’s say the worst did happen, and I didn’t get back on track and I refound the weight. Looking back, I now see that my struggles with my weight were perfect for me and were important to helping me get where I am now. It has been key to my ability to relate to so many other women, to find the missing link that causes 90 percent of diets to fail, and to fully see the beauty and magnificence inside every woman.

If I were to go through the up and down again, wouldn’t there be an amazing opportunity for me to grow and become even more, and to be of even greater service to others?

Absolutely.

So today, I’m going to continue my self-care. I will do gentle and easy movement. I will reach for foods that feel like my body is asking for. I will do work if that feels fun, or I will rest or read if that feels more needed. I will meet up with friends at a book signing and for dinner tonight, and I will be present and loving, and allow us all to be exactly where we are.

And tomorrow, I will evaluate where I am and what my body feels like it needs. And I’ll look forward to continuing to feel strong, fit, and lean.

What do you need to do for your own self-care today? How can you balance your goals with the messages you are getting from your body? What are your indications that it’s time to push and move forward, or that it’s time to ease up and rest? What difference does that make to living the life of your dreams?

Together we can do it!

Photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net