Putting it Off Until I'm Thinner

I can't do that Until I Lose This Weight!

If you don't enjoy the life you've got because you think you don't look good in shorts or you can't bring yourself to wear a bathing suit, you're doing nothing more than wasting your life for nothing. Maybe you don't look like a bathing beauty but who does? I've heard so many people tell me that they would give anything to be at a weight they once were, but when questioned they almost always say, "Now that I think about it, I thought I was fat back then too," but guess what? They weren't. Those same people are sometimes shocked to see photos of themselves as a teenager or young adult; "Why I wasn't fat at all," they'll say.

Where do these fears originate except within our minds, and that makes me wonder - is this another way of the brain to try to keep us from taking the steps necessary to affect change? Remember, your brain will do what it can to keep things the way they are, at least at first, so crazy notions about the future may be clouding your judgment.

It's unlikely you'll hear someone on their death bed say, "If only I'd spent more hours at the job," but more likely they'll say, "I wish I'd spent more time with my family." Go ahead and spend that time now, doing what you love, being with people you enjoy. If you like being outdoors, be outdoors. Do you love the water but you haven't been in a pool for 20 years because you think you look awful in a swimming suit? Who cares? Go swimming, today, tomorrow, or next week. Just go.

It's Not Always About Us

Think about this: Sally cannot stand to go out because she doesn't want anyone to see her in a size 22 dress. She's embarrassed and too self consciousness, so she doesn't date. On her way to work one day she has to stop and buy some stamps. John passes her on the street on his way to the Post Office, but she didn't see him because she was looking at her shoes and feeling bad for herself. As John is walking toward the Post Office he's thinking about how he wants to workout at the gym but he can't seem to get himself started. After all, "Everyone will notice me and make fun of me." Mary, the clerk is wearing a dress that no longer fits because she's lost 25 lbs. yet she can't bring herself to buy new clothes because of, "What people might think." She's lost in her thoughts and almost gives John the wrong change, which he hardly notices because he's thinking about the gym and the horror of everyone noticing him and pointing.