Wishing; Only If I Was Thin!

I was at my granddaughter’s graduation on Wednesday night and people watching as the guests were arriving; my favorite sport. While looking around I was thinking, boy can that person lose weight or I wish I looked like that person. At one point I mentioned to someone in my family, “I wish I was that thin and his reply was you are.” I stopped and thought what are you doing?

It is so easy to get caught up in our story about not being thin and if only I could lose another 20 pounds. My life would be perfect! I started thinking, what if I changed my story, told myself I was thin and living a vibrant life NOW what would happen. A new challenge!

So from that point on I kept telling myself, you look great and how exciting it was to be at my granddaughter’s high school graduation. I was so grateful that my family members were sitting next to me, we were all yelling together when Caitlin marched in, of course she heard us and turned, smiled and waved. The speakers at the graduation were very inspirational. I was thinking how lucky we are today to have the knowledge and awareness that enables us to create our own vibrant lives.

I was working with a client yesterday and she was telling me about her assignment. During her last session, we were talking about the stories we tell ourselves and how destructive they could be. She then crafted a new story that was very positive and loving of herself and others. Her special opportunity the week between sessions was to keep telling herself the new story. Cathy (name changed) found by telling herself the new story she woke up with a smile each morning, ate healthier and enjoyed her day. Taking this small step Cathy started living life from a different perspective.

Some simple tools you can use to change your story:
1. Write a very short story on an index card describing your perfect life. An example: “Today I feel loved, healthy, enjoying my life, wanting to eat healthy and exercise and am grateful for my supportive friends and family members."
2. Read the card when you get out of bed.
3. Read the card whenever you start thinking about your old story.
4. Read the card before going to sleep.
5. Continue this exercise for 20 days.

As always, I would love to hear what you are experiencing on your life's journey. Please feel free to contact me with your stories, comments, and ideas. Write to me by leaving your comments at the bottom of this article or send an email to helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net.