I bet there are all kinds of things you love! People, food, places, ideas,
music, sleeping, pets, books, movies, nature, architecture, poetry,
sports….the list is endless. And while none of us loves all things, we
all have things we do love.

Now here’s a question for you. Do you love yourself?

What was your first thought when you read the last sentence about loving
yourself?

Was it something about loving yourself being wrong? Wrong because to love
yourself would be conceited? Wrong because what would others think? Wrong
because you don’t think of yourself as a loveable person? Wrong because no
one else loves you? Wrong because people shouldn’t just walk around loving
themselves? Wrong because…….?

No matter what reason there is that you may believe that loving yourself
is wrong, that reason is wrong!

You are a magnificent being! You are worthy of being loved, no matter what
anyone else may have ever told you. And the first step to being loved is
to really love and accept yourself. Fully embracing yourself, all of
yourself.

Self-love is really the basis for self-esteem. And our level of
self-esteem determines what we will and won’t accept from life. Our level
of self-esteem determines what we think we are worth, from all
perspectives. What we think we can earn, the type of people we associate
with, the quality of our clothes, our cars, our houses, and what we weigh,
are all tied into our self-esteem.

It just makes sense that if you hold yourself in high-esteem, that you
will treat yourself with respect and care. Conversely, if your self-esteem
is low, your self-respect will be low too. And low self-respect doesn’t
translate into treating yourself well. And treating yourself well does not
include habits that lead to an unhealthy body. And an overweight body is
an unhealthy body.

Do you know that you are a marvellous creation? A truly remarkable human
being? That there is no one else on this planet that has the exact same
make up as you? You are as unique as a snowflake! And did you also know
that you have unique gifts to offer? Whether you are a great singer,
dancer, crossword-doer, baker, parent, friend, artist, writer,
sunset-watcher, gardener, decorator, cook, sports person, story-teller or
anything else, you have within you the capacity for greatness! You have
some unique talent(s) that others admire in you. Think about what this is.
If you aren’t sure what it is, or if you can’t even begin to believe this,
ask your nicest, closest friends for some insight. Your friends will be
able to tell you what they see you being good at. We are going to use this
information in just a minute.

We are going to use a technique we called Affirmations. An affirmation is
a statement you repeat over and over and over again to yourself, until you
actually start to believe it because it is programmed into your
subconscious. An affirmation is always done in the present tense, even
though sometimes this can seem like quite a stretch of the truth. So, to
make it easier for you to get going, we are going to start with your
personal area of strength that you know is true. This way we can “shore
up” your belief, and give you a good solid foundation.

A great way to start an affirmation is with the words “I am so happy and
grateful now that I ___________________________” and then fill in the
blank with your strength. So you might say “I am so happy and grateful now
that I am a great gardener, with a beautiful garden of gorgeous flowers”
or “I am so happy and grateful now that I am a great parent of a wonderful
child’ or “I am so happy and grateful now that I am a great
singer/artist/seamstress/bowler/salesperson etc etc”

Right now, I want to you to formulate your affirmation, and then memorize
it. You are going to repeat this statement to yourself many, many times
every day. You may want to put post-it notes all around to remind yourself
to do this! I personally have post-it notes on my bathroom mirror, in my
bedroom, and sometimes even in the kitchen! You can’t over do this, and
the more you do it, the faster your thinking will shift. Aim to say your
affirmation (out loud, or silently, depending on where you are at the
time) at least 100 times per day!

Again, don’t be concerned if it feels like you are really exagerating or
even lying to yourself. Just keep repeating it over and over and over each
day, and it will begin to feel like the truth, as it becomes the truth!

Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it is going to take some
time for you really cement this new of way of thinking about yourself.
You will know this technique working when you find yourself thinking
kinder, gentler thoughts about yourself. You may also notice that you
start feeling more optimistic about your life and the situations and
people in it. You will also notice that the way people respond to you
changes for the better too.

The reason everything in your life changes for the better when you
increase your self-esteem and self-respect is because your self-esteem
determines the “lens” through which you look at the world. Each of us sees
the outside world relative to our inside world. All our points of
reference are internal. By changing internally, you are also changing your
filters. So it is not really that the outside world is changed, it’s just
that you changed how you look it. You will begin to notice things you
never noticed before, and won’t notice things that used to get your
attention. It’s like looking thru a telescope…you will see only what you
focus the telescope on. By moving the telescope, your view will change.
That doesn’t mean the other view is not there, it is just not in your line
of sight. Changing the lens through which you look at the world will
change what you see and what gets your attention. This is a guarantee!

Begin today to fall in love with the most important person in your
life…YOU! It is a love affair that will last a lifetime and bring you
more joy and happiness than you can even imagine. And once you are in love
with you, watch how those around you start to fall under your spell too.
True love must start within, and then it can progress to the outside.

To your success!

Watch:

Rogers Television: Go to: http://www.rogerstv.com/option.asp?lid=237&rid=17&mid=52&gid=68171

CKCO News – Health section, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVn7dCxAzwk

Breakfast TV, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr_xRM1gUhM

Listen:

Show: “Wellness Experience”
A fascinating discussion about obesity in America and how the media is contributing to the problem. Listen to the recording at:
www.blogtalkradio.com/WellnessExperience/2009/03/19/Food-Is-Not-Making-You-Fat/#comments

Show: “Intuitive Radio”
A lively discussion about how the brain fits into weight reduction and management. Listen to the recording at: www.intuitivesoul.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=285&Itemid=61

Show: “Achieve Radio”
A lively interviewer asking some great questions about weight, self-esteem, self-perception etc. Listen to the recording at: (It’s show #62):
www.achieveradio.com/yale-devereau/#arch

Show: “Holistic Health Show”
Stacey is interviewed by Dr Carl Helvie, educator, author and practitioner in health and wellness. Listen to the recording at: http://www.audioacrobat.com/play/WDyjDbl4

Show: “Conversations Live with Vicki St. Clair”
Vicki and Stacey discuss weight and non-dieting ways to have less of it. Listen to the recording at:
http://conversationslive.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=127&Itemid=29

Did you know that there exists another self-portrait that only you can see? And that whether you realize it or not, you refer to this portrait many, many times a day?

Some of us have these portraits that look like they are works of art, truly beautiful, our own “Mona Lisa’s”! And others of us have ones that look like more like Munsch’s “The Scream”, rather dark and scary.

What are these portraits I am referring to? And where do you see them everyday?

These portraits are your minds-eye view of yourself, the image you hold in your mind of what you look like. Details of your mind’s-eye view can include your height, your weight, your haircolour, your style of clothing, even your level of happiness.

We all hold an internal picture of ourselves, it is part of the human experience. It helps us to direct our actions and plan our futures. Have you ever heard someone say “I just can’t picture myself doing ______” when you make a suggestion to them? What they are really saying is that your suggestion doesn’t match the view they hold of themselves, so there’s no fit. And if someone just can’t see themselves doing something, you can be sure they aren’t going to do it.

And this is true in the weight area as well. Regardless of what the scales say, if someone just can’t see themselves as slim, they are never going to be able to remain slim for long. They may get slim for a while, but they won’t stay there. This is because the mind’s eye-view of a person is the benchmark that the brain uses to determine what to do, and what not to do, to support the mental picture.

This is why CEO’s will never be garbagemen, and garbagemen will never be CEO’s…each just doesn’t see him/herself in the other role.

And this is so important to understand re weight. To achieve permanent weight results, you simply must update your mind’s eye view of yourself as that of a slim person. And the sooner on your journey that you you do this, the easier your path to slimness will be.

So begin today to view yourself at your ideal weight. Get rid of all your “fat pictures” around your house, and replace them with slim pictures of yourself. Look at these pictures everyday to reprogram your brain into seeing you as slim. Because the brain directs everything we do, everything, having a slim mind’s eye view of yourself will cause your brain to direct you into doing/not doing those things that will support your internal vision of yourself. When you hold a slim internal view of yourself, you’ll find that you simply won’t want to overeat, and it won’t seem so hard, nor will you feel deprived.

Conversely, if you hold a fat image of yourself internally, no matter how hard you try to diet or exercise, your brain will eventually lead you back into the actions that will carry you back into being heavy again.

Willpower is not the answer. A slim internal view of yourself is a big part of the answer. So go create your own personal internal Mona Lisa right now! Create a masterpiece, and watch your imagination turn into reality!