 | Lisa Vermillion is President and co-owner of Get Fit Bee Fit and Thin and Healthy Weight Management. Lisa opened Get Fit- 4 years ago in Valley Center, after receiving certifications thorough the American Council on Exercise as a Weight and Lifestyle Management Consultant and Certified Personal Trainer. In January, she Grand Opened Thin and Healthy Weight Management in the same location. Lisa not only provides weight loss programs for individuals but she also implements business wellness programs for small businesses and large corporations. Additionally, Lisa is a Certified Life Coach providing guidance for individuals in the areas of career, relationship and personal development. She is available for speaking engagements in the areas of Physical Fitness, Weight Management, or any Life Coaching area (goal setting, positive attitude, sales, etc). Lisa can be reached for questions or speaking engagements by phone (316) 755-1115 or email at mvmillion@yahoo.com |
Diet & Nutrition
2008-08-01 09:35:00
Giving up too quickly
Answer: Just as learned behavior habits form from families and surroundings, learned thought patterns spring from the same sources. Thoughts determine beliefs, beliefs determine actions, and actions determine success in any goal. Failure to recognize negative speech and thought patterns prevails, particularly since we have practiced them and they have become habits. Changing negative thought requires recognition, re framing, and reaffirming.
The first step is recognizing negative thoughts. Negative thoughts that have been part of your speech for a long time can be difficult to identify in the beginning. Listen for words like, “but”, “always”, “never”, “should”, and “try”. They sneak into sentences like, “I want to do that but…”, “I always mess up”, “I never accomplish my goals”, “I should exercise”, and “I’ll try to do it”. All these words imply, “I am incapable of accomplishing the goal”. Such negative statements are rarely true, however. When you allow yourself to believe these lies, you set yourself up for failure. We become what we think about. Listen for negative beliefs in your thoughts and ask a trusted friend to listen for them in your speech.
The second step requires re-framing negative thoughts into positive ones. Simply put, re-framing involves turning the words around so they imply success instead of failure. Positive statements should be present tense. “I am” or “I do” vs. “I will” or “I can” Even though the later sounds positive, the brain comprehends “now” thoughts instead of “later thoughts”. “I will “implies sometimes down the road, as apposed to “ I do it now” . Be on the look out for “try”. That little three letter word is probably the sneakiest, deadliest word in our language. To the brain, “try” translates to “I’m not going to”. Do this little experiment. Have a friend stand in front of you with his arm straight out to his side parallel to the ground. Tell him you’re going to push down on his arm and you want him to resist you. You’ll find that you won’t be able to push his arm down much. Next, tell him to rest for a moment then put his arm back out. Now tell him to “try” to resist you. You’ll be able to push the arm down with ease. As Yoda from Star Wars said, “You do or you do not, there is no try.”
The final step is reaffirming the new thought patterns. Write out your newly acquired positive thoughts on paper, putting them where they can be seen daily. The key is repetitive reaffirming. It’s important to keep your new positive thoughts in the top of your mind so the old ones stay firmly at bay. Write them down, say them out loud, keep them flowing freely.
Recognizing negative thought patterns, re-framing them in new positive ways, and reaffirming them on a daily basis allows you to excel. When you begin thinking in positive ways, your action ability increases and success surrounds you in ways you once believed impossible.
