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!