Taste Life Blog

Summer is here! And maybe you are like the majority of people I meet. You vowed you would become thinner, richer or happier this year. And, your year is half over!

Last month the Taste Life ezine focused on wealthier. So, this month let’s focus on healthier. Our lives are really a simple string of daily habits – those automatic things we do day in and day out. A habit can be good…or bad; it just depends on the life you are trying to create. Old habits are like worn comfy slippers – easy to do. It is much easier to plop change in the vending machine instead of taking an apple ALL the way to work. Think about it – you have to buy an apple at the grocery store, wash it and drive it to work and then remember to eat it. Too much to think about! New habits are like brand new shoes that take a while to get used to. It’s awfully hard to pass that M’M candy dish when you are used to swiping at it every time you pass by. What do you do?

Your first step is awareness. Take a breath. Stop your busy routine. Remind yourself that you are in charge of your life. Remind yourself you have choices. Ask yourself: Am I living my life by choice or chance? (Drives Gary nuts thatI keep dice on my window sills to remind me of this.)

Second step is to think about what you DO want. Think about what you want when you picture a happier or healthier you. Ask yourself: Who do I want to be one year from now? How do I want to feel one year from now? Think about your vision of what you want to weigh. Take an honest look at all the things you do without thinking about them. Are they helpful or hurtful habits? Are they getting you closer or farther away from your vision?

Third step, make some decisions to match your vision. Pretend you weigh 150 pounds but really want to weigh 120 pounds. You have “wanted” to lose weight for years. But have you decided, I mean really decided, you want to weigh 120 pounds. The power is in your decision, not your goal weight. Does a person who weighs 150 pounds eat like a person who weighs 120 pounds? The power is in your choice of what you decide you want to weigh, backed up by your every day food decisions. Research shows that the average person makes 200 decisions about food every day – conscious or unconscious.

Fourth step, dump your will power theory. Will power is won’t power. Focus on your environment, which is stronger than your will. I have my wellness coaching clients memorize, “My environment is stronger than my will.” It is not about will power. I call that worry power. Can you take a pan of bars to a get together at a cabin and not eat them?

Fifth step, create your environment to support who you want to become. But really, forget about this step until you decide. Goals are great. I will lose weight. But until you really, really decide that you truly WANT to be happier and healthier and start new behaviors, nothing will change.

Make some decisions this month. Don’t be left behind. Remember, if you have not consciously made a decision to be amazing, happier and healthier, you have unconsciously made the decision to be average, unhappy and unhealthy.

Better get busy! Summer is here and the best time of the year if you ask me!

Not too late to join the Best Summer of Your Life Club.