I Can. I Will. I WILL KEEP GOING.

I can.  I will.  I will keep going.  That is the mantra I have chosen for this time of year to help everyone get back on track and centered.  The mind is so important.  It is the decision maker, the reality tester, the voice from within that will not be silenced.  It is with us all the time telling us yes or no--this or that--more or less.  We start believing our thoughts and accept them as truth if we repeat them often enough.  Perception becomes reality.  For this reason, it is so important to be sure that the words we say to ourselves are positive and reflective of our heart's desire--our goals.

There are so many things we CAN do.  Whether we WILL do them or not is another story.  Let's start with "can."  I can make a small change today with my eating habits.  A small change might be having fruits or veggies for snacks instead of chips and crackers.  This is doable.  This is reasonable.  This is specific.  The test comes when snack time shows up. Will I choose fruits and veggies?  I will if I planned ahead.  I will if I have them on hand because I went to the grocery store.  I will if my success is driving my behavior. 

Let's say that I've been packing fruits and veggies for snacks for a while now--several weeks.  I am used to doing it.  I have learned to like these foods as snacks.  I am getting results.  However, one day, my coworker brings in my favorite donuts.  Instead of my apple at 10AM, I indulge in a big donut. No harm done as long as I keep going with regular programming.  There is room for indulgences now and then.  That's a healthy lifestyle.  However, what if I then start trash talking to myself and telling myself that I should have resisted the donut and eaten the apple.  What if I start feeling hopeless and defeated and then go to a pizza buffet lunch?  WHOAH!  That's not going to help me. Instead, I can simply take stock of the fact that for weeks I have been eating fruits and veggies for snacks.  Bravo!   I can applaud myself for that good behavior change.  I can recognize that a donut once in a while is acceptable...no judging.  I can then say, I don't have to have pizza and let my good habits unravel.  I can get back to regular eating patterns right away.  I WILL KEEP GOING.  

Expecting to succeed at weight loss and weight maintenance is critical to success.  Expecting to succeed means that we are planning on it, and we are arranging our lives so that it happens.  Nobody is perfect, and it doesn't matter anyway.  We have a back up plan for those moments--KEEP GOING. By refusing to give up, we keep going.  That's a huge step in the right direction.  That works.

I can.

I will.

I will keep going.

Say it to yourself often, and play it out in your life.  The results will be there.  You will be earning them one thought at a time, one step at a time, one day at a time.  That's a healthy life worth living.