Category Archives: Belief

A New Thought to Create a New You

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Fruits and Vegetables

“I don’t like vegetables.”

A client said this to me the other day.

I have found that this is a pretty common sentiment among women who have struggled with their weight. You may have a lifetime of evidence that most vegetables are, “Blagh.”

When you go on a diet or try to eat healthier, you may take vegetables like medicine, forcing yourself to eat them. Meal times become something to endure rather to savor. At the very least, those meals are notsoul-satisfying.

And here you are trying to fulfill your resolution to lose weight in January—what many feel is the peak of the winter-vegetable doldrums.

Is it any wonder that so many resolutions fail?

What if you are dealing with a limiting belief? What if you could shift your perspective about vegetables just enough that you could see a path around this obstacle to create the radiantly healthy body you want?

One way to do this is to think about how you could make eating vegetables fun.

This might look like:

  • Trying new recipes
  • Adding a cup of spinach to your smoothie
  • Experimenting with vegetables you’ve never tried before

What if you could prove to yourself that you actually do enjoy vegetables in some form or fashion? Maybe even love some of them? How might that alter your success at releasing the weight–for good?

How often do we limit ourselves because of an opinion, judgment, thought, idea, or past experience that we just assume is absolutely and completely True?

For instance, how many of you have ever heard, “You have to clean your plate because there are starving children somewhere in the world?”

Do you think that’s a limiting belief?

How true is it that your cleaning your plate is going to benefit any of those starving children?

How can that belief actually be harmful to you?

  • Cleaning your plate teaches you to disregard your body’s guidance that it’s had enough.
  • Eating too much food is at the heart of being overweight, which has serious health consequences.
  • People are often concerned about wasting food. Extra food will either go to waste in the garbage or will go to waste in your body. You can either waste it, or you waist it.
  • It contributes to a lack mentality. The feeling that “there isn’t enough so I have to eat more than I need.”

A lot of times, helping people see the flaws in their thinking is enough to help them move beyond it. But changing a long-standing belief system can impact underlying values.

If you’re upset by the idea of not cleaning your plate, what are the values you have that may be being challenged?

  • If it’s wanting to help those in need, what would be a more constructive action than cleaning your plate? Maybe donating to charities that feed the poor?
  • If the value is being sustainable, maybe you’ll want to start a composting system?
  • If it’s really just fear or lack, then maybe you have some work to do about trusting the abundance of the Universe?

Whenever you notice a thought that is holding you back in any way, ask yourself if that thought is still true. Unless it is a Universal Truth—a thought that is true no matter what, no matter who, and no matter when—what is it that you need to do to shift it?

All it takes is challenging those limiting beliefs just enough so that doors open, paths unfold, obstacles disappear, and the solutions become clear.

A new thought truly creates a new you.

Together we can do it!

Time is Running Out!

Join the the Love Your Way Slim Coaching Program today! 

This unique program transforms your mindset, integrates your core values and spiritual beliefs, provides exceptional support, and hones in on the most powerful actions you can take to make releasing the weight not only easy and satisfying—but fun! (Yes, it really is possible!)

FIND OUT MORE HERE

Program closes Saturday. It won’t open again until January 2014!

 

http://loveyourwayslim.com/coaching-program/

Signs of Progress

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One year ago today, I published my first blog on this site.

That was me lining up my thoughts and beliefs with my actions and desires, and saying a big “Yes!” to the future I envisioned.

Since then, I have not only published a wellness tip and a blog six days a week, but I have interacted with you fabulous readers, read some amazing writing on others’ blogs, been inspired and hopefully given inspiration—maybe even to you.

I also successfully dealt with my own wellness challenges—including a major surgery—improved my nutrition, and have maintained my weight and fitness level.

In addition, I completed my coaching certifications and my business has taken off—I’ve even hired a business coach to help me with it. I’m super excited about the changes I have coming as a result, including a new website, coaching programs, e-book, beach-side Love Your Way Slim retreat, and much, much more!

More importantly, I love my life—and the people in it—more than I ever dreamed possible!

My intention with this blog has been—and will remain—to inspire and provide value to you fabulous readers. Each blog is an expression of how much I appreciate your time, your energy, where you are in life and on your wellness journey, our connection, and Who you are as a person.

Thank you for all the follows, likes, awards, support, and comments. They have all been felt and appreciated. And the greatest honor of all has been your letting me know when a blog has moved or inspired you.

And I especially want to thank all you readers who have been with me from those early days. Knowing you were reading and cheering me on made all the difference in the world. Much love and appreciation to each of you.

Here’s to the changes and growth we will all experience together in the coming year. I look forward to connecting more deeply with you as we share our personal wellness journeys.

Together we can do it!

 

PS Just for fun, here is my first post. I’ve come a long way, baby!

Celebrate the Signs!

Posted on September 3, 2011

Wellness Tip of the Weekend: Have faith in your ability to make the decisions that will create optimal health—and then follow through with them.

Every moment of every day we are creating our life. Each decision will either hold us in place or move us towards the person we want to become. If you want to be fit, strong, and lean, then consistently make the decisions that someone who is fit, strong, and lean would make.

Each successful decision, each pound lost–each tiny sign of progress–is like the scenery passing by on a car trip. It is the landmark on the map showing you that you are moving towards the person you want to be. Celebrate those signs, no matter how small! It means you are succeeding!

Together we can do it!

 

 

How True is That?

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While I’m hanging out with my folks celebrating my birthday, I’m sharing one of my favorite blogs that you may have missed.

One of the things that holds us back from creating the body and life of our dreams is accepting those limiting beliefs that we have picked up from others as truth. How likely are you to achieve something if you don’t even believe it’s possible?

If you’re feeling stuck regarding releasing weight, it can be helpful to look at the beliefs you’re holding and examine if they’re accurate or not.

For instance, how many of you have ever heard “You have to clean your plate because there are starving children somewhere in the world?”

Just about everyone, right? This is how our parents or grandparents often got us to eat—and to eat things we didn’t want to eat. Do you think that’s a limiting belief?

How true is it that your cleaning your plate is going to benefit any of those starving children?

Logically, it makes no sense that my overeating will help anyone else. In fact, this belief can actually be harmful. Cleaning your plate teaches you to disregard your body’s guidance that it’s had enough, and eating too much food is at the heart of being overweight, which has serious health consequences.

At the core of this belief is often a concern about wasting food. But the truth is extra food in your body is just as wasteful as putting it in the trash. You can either waste it, or you waist it.

A lot of times, seeing the flaws in your thinking is enough to help you move beyond it. But changing a long-standing belief can also impact underlying values.

For instance, it may be hard for you to let go of this belief because one of your values is helping others in need. What would be a more constructive action than cleaning your plate? Perhaps donating to charities that feed the poor?

Maybe your value around this belief is being sustainable. A more direct way to address that value might be to start a composting system, or to recycle.

Resistance to changing this belief could also be fear—perhaps fear that there’s not enough so you have to eat more than you need. What are some ways that you can focus on the abundance that you do have in your life?

If you want to create the life of your dreams, it’s worth looking at the inaccurate thinking and limiting beliefs you have going on.

How willing are you to let go of beliefs that don’t serve you? How does this enable you to create new thoughts and beliefs that do?

Together we can do it!

 

 

You Can Change the Past

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What came first, the chicken or the egg?

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!

You Are So Beautiful!

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What is beautiful to you?

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!

How’s That Working Out for You?

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“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

Find Your In-Dependence

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“When I lose 30 pounds, then I will be free.”

 

“Once I lose the weight, I can enjoy my life.”

 

“Once I’m a certain size, I will _____________ (fill in the blank—go to the beach, take that class, take that trip, etc., etc.”

 

These are common things I hear from clients who are putting off their happiness, joy, freedom—truly living their life—until that miraculous day when they are the magic size and all will be right with the world.

But the sad truth is, unless you change on the inside, even if you are able to meet your goal, you probably won’t feel any different. You might not even look different to yourself. You will not have found freedom, joy, or happiness–because you are seeking it in the wrong place.

As the fabulous Kendra Thornbury reminded me in her blog this morning, “No amount of money, no circumstance, and no person can create the feeling of freedom you long for.”

This includes having a magic number on the scale, or a certain pant size, or even body fat percentage.

The change you are seeking must come from the inside. Truly, what you are seeking is In-Dependence.

To quote Kendra again:

“While many of you are walking around disguised as free beings, in truth, you are still dependent on certain things happening in order to feel free.

 

Your joy, prosperity, peace — are contingent on something outside of you.

 

This is NOT freedom.

 

When your freedom depends on the external, you are still trapped.”

____________________________

Attempting to shift circumstances to feel free is a temporary solution.

 

And waiting for what is going on outside of you to change keeps you perpetually dependent.

 

The truth is, when you tap the essence of your being, you will be free.

 

No amount of money, no circumstance and no person can create the feeling of freedom you long for.

 

Only you can create it.

 

You have the power to access this freedom right now.

 

It begins with getting real about your dependencies, pledging an allegiance to your soul, and committing to live from the truth inside you.“

 

Kendra’s blog was an awesome reminder to me this morning that Source (All-That-Is, God, the Universe, Higher Coach–whatever works for you) is the Source of all that I am seeking. The Source of freedom, love, wellness, appreciation, abundance can only be found inside.

In-Dependence is truly being inner-dependent. When we stop looking outside of ourselves for people or circumstances to change and instead seek the feeling of freedom, love, joy, happiness, etc.—then we are truly free.

What can you do today to generate the feeling of freedom? To begin to know that you are free right here, right now, despite any outside circumstances? To believe that the love and acceptance you have been seeking has been inside of you all this time—and is not dependent on your waist-size.

Together we can do it!

 

Take A Step Towards Relief

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How do you feel most of the time? Are you joyful, appreciative, content, and hopeful? Or are you frustrated, angry, overwhelmed, and maybe even depressed?

Is there connection between how you feel most of the time and how you see the world?

If you don’t think so, I’d ask you to think again!

Every feeling you have is either a derivative of love or fear. Like opposite ends of a magnet, the feelings that you have are moving you closer to one pole or the other. Where you spend most of your time is reflected in how you experience life.

While many people think their feelings are out of their control, this isn’t actually the case. What you are feeling is tied directly to what you are thinking.

You may believe that what you are thinking about a situation is etched in stone. The situation is the situation after all. It’s either good or bad, right? How could you possibly think something different about it?

You begin to take control of your thoughts and emotions when you recognize that what you think and feel is a choice.

This doesn’t mean that you won’t face a situation that feels so bad that changing your thoughts simply is not an option in the moment. I would say it is pretty impossible to look at a child or animal that is suffering and change your thoughts in the moment to be all holly jolly. And I don’t think you’re meant to do that.

But the solution will not be found in continuing to focus on the problem. People tend to just lock on to how horrible the problem is, and like passing a wreck on the highway, they can’t tear their eyes—or thoughts—away.

But if the problem is on one side of the mental coin, the solution is on the other, and you have to begin turning your thoughts and focus to the solution side of things.

This means focusing on what you do want. How do you want things to look? How do you want children and animals to be treated? What would resolution look like to you? Then lock on to those thoughts like a laser beam.

If you feel so strongly about a situation that you literally can’t shift your thoughts about it, then as often as possible, figure out how you can take your mind off that topic. You will not be giving it freedom to get worse if you give your mind a rest to think about something that you do feel good about.

Letting go of your grip on worry and stress—even for a minute here and there throughout your day—can actually help you see solutions that you otherwise would have missed.

This is where it’s helpful to tap into your spiritual beliefs. You can feel a sense of relief when you put your mental burden in the hands of a power bigger than yourself, that understands the story behind you and to come, that has such a broad perspective that the solution is clear, and that has the capacity to create the Universe and that will use all of its resources working on your behalf.

However you can get there, a feeling of relief is all you need to strive for. Trying to jump from depression to joy will just bring you crashing painfully to the ground. The small step of a feeling of relief is all that you need to move you closer to the love-side of the magnet.

And the more you step your thoughts towards love, the more you love your life and see life as wonderful, abundant, and joyful.

What can you do today to alter your thoughts to create a feeling of relief? Do that, and repeat.

Together we can do it!

 

 

Photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net

 

 

You Have the Keys to the Queendom

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Here are the top 10 ways people give away their power:

1. Asking others what they should do.

2. Thinking God decides who gets what.

3. Worrying about how their dream will come true.

4. Thinking they have dues to pay.

5. Attaching to unimportant details and outcomes.

6. Believing in soul mates.

7. Thinking karma or spiritual contracts are absolute.

8. Fear of anything, especially falling in love.

9. Waiting for their ducks to line up before acting.

10. Choosing to be unhappy.

Understand the truth, little bird, and you will soar.

Caw-caw,

The Universe

To be happy or not is always a choice.

 

 

Do you think it’s hard to make changes on the inside?

Do you believe your life is somehow separate from your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs?

Do you feel that those negative internal patterns are stronger and more powerful than your desire to change?

These are all signs that you are not being the leader of your body and life.

It’s time to step into your role as the alpha female of you. It’s time to accept your power. You are hereby granted sole proprietorship of your inner Queendom.

The key is deciding–deciding to take responsibility, deciding if it’s going to be hard or easy, deciding to be steadfast and persistent in your internal leadership role.

The internal changes may not be instantaneous, but little-by-little, decision-by-decision, moment-by-moment, each time you focus on what you want, who you want to be, and how you want to live your life and then make the decision to reach for that regardless of the fear or negative self-talk, you will be changing your interior landscape to one that will support and celebrate your self-leadership.

It is only when you take responsibility for and control over your daily thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that lead to your actions that your inner landscape changes. You do have power over your subconscious, your thoughts, and feelings–but you have to step into the leadership role.

How willing are you to be the leader of your own life? How willing and committed are you to take the consistent action needed? Only you have the answers for you. How hard or easy it will be ultimately depends on what you decide.

Together we can do it!

I’m Healthy and I Know It!

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Last night after brushing our very furry Keeshond dogs, I picked up the grooming table to put it away and dropped it on the ball-joint of my foot. To say it hurt is an understatement. It hurt so much, in fact, that I thought I had broken it.

After hearing the crash and racing up the stairs, my fabulous husband found me writhing on the floor with my foot already turning dark shades.

Remembering the RICE rule (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation), David immediately got me up on the sofa to ice and elevate my foot. Once the initial wave of pain eased, I hobbled into the bedroom where I remained for the rest of the night.

For about the first 20 minutes, I lay there trying to think about how I could alter my exercise routine to work around my injury. As I pushed myself up to a sitting position to take some Advil, I realized I’d also hurt my hand.

As if reading my mind, David said, “I think it’s safe to say this is going to impact your workout routine.”

In the past, this is where I would have started freaking out. Visions of backsliding and weight gain would have filled my mind. I would have been totally focused on the worst-case scenario.

Ahh, I love how much I have changed.

Instead, I made peace with it, started looking for the opportunities, and invited in wellness.

My thoughts went something like this:

This is temporary. I will heal and recover and I will be working out to full capacity again in no time. And there will be a lot of opportunities to get creative with how I move my body. Just because I’m injured doesn’t mean I can’t do anything. And just think about how much I will appreciate my feet during this time.

And I know the amazing power of All-That-Is (God, the Universe, Source Energy, Higher Coach—whatever works for you.) The moment that I hurt my foot I was asking vibrationally for healing and a return to wellness, and I know that when we ask, it is given.

My wellness will return as rapidly as I am open to receiving it.

I then took 30 minutes to meditate and used any time I was awake during the night to relax into my wellness.

After awaking at my normal time, I asked my body if it would prefer me to get up and try to do some kind of workout, or if I should sleep. An immediate jab of pain in my foot seemed to answer that rest is what I needed, so I turned over.

When I did get up, I was amazed to find that the bruising and swelling was almost completely gone and while still tender and sore, I can walk fairly easily. While flip-flops will be my footwear of choice for a few days and I will want to continue to rest, ice, and elevate, my hand and foot are going to be back to normal in no time.

Even better is that I feel great this morning and am ready to embrace my day. With different thoughts, I would have woken exhausted and pessimistic.

How we respond truly makes a huge difference in how we experience life. What can you do to change your thoughts about a “negative” situation? How does that change your experience of it? What might be the value in continually reaching for a more “positive” perspective?

Together we can do it!

Photo of our dogs Buffy (left) and Willow by Hansje Gold-Krueck