Lose Weight

With the amount of excellent material available in books, courses and on the internet these days, it’s unlikely that you are short of ideas about how to improve your life.

But how many great ideas have you read and then forgotten? Probably a fair few, even most of them, if you’re honest with yourself. And somehow it’s all too easy for life to go on, despite your interest in making things great, just getting more of the same old results you were always getting.

Why not try making the very most of your life by putting this simple system in place to gather and implement the changes and ideas which capture your imagination?

1. Record your ideas

Keep a special notebook where you jot down all your ideas and notes about improving your life as you come across them, noting down only those ideas you definitely want to try out. Ideas can be as simple as drinking 8 glasses of water a day or as complex as following the whole process in the latest self-development book you have been reading.

2. One-off actions

Every week select an action, small group of actions or next stage in a process you want to implement. Have a set day and time to make your selection each week so you don’t forget and then make sure that you complete the action before it’s time to choose again. Result : 52 one-off actions or steps towards implementing a program completed every year for the rest of your life.

3. Habits to encourage

In addition, select a great new habit every week. And spend the week focusing on that habit and making it happen. View this as an experiment to see if it does anything for you. If it works you can keep it. If it doesn’t show any signs of being of benefit, you can discard it. Monitor your current set of habits daily until each one becomes so automatic it’s simply part of your routine. Make a game of seeing how well you can do each day in keeping up your new habits. Result : potentially 52 great new habits a year, realistically 30 to 40, building your success week by week for the rest of your life.

4. Projects Big and Small

You can even tackle a big project to lose weight or get a new job in this way by breaking it down into one-off action steps and habits. For example, action steps you might jot down in your goal to lose weight might be to buy a healthy cookbook, join a gym and get a chosen weight loss program checked out by your doctor. Habits you can implement step by step might be to take a walk each lunchtime, replace sugary soda drinks one by one with water and include 7 portions of fruit and vegetables in your diet each day to add bulk and nutrients without too many calories.

5. Focus for Visible and Motivating Progress

If you focus on specific areas of your life for 4 to 6 weeks at a time, you will find that you make huge leaps forward in a short time. For example, 6 weeks on health and you will have taken 6 action steps towards a healthier you and added 6 new healthy habits which you can consoldate while you focus on another area, such as your home or your relationships.

Copyright 2006, Janice Elizabeth Small

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of “The Diet Exit Plan”, an 8 week coaching program for automatic permanent weight loss. Get her FREE 15 page report “How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn’t want you to know” at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!

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There are literally thousands of self improvement books, courses and
programs on the market at any given time, with a wide price range
and an even wider range of promises.

Before you invest a dime there are four critically important questions
you must consider when trying to decide which information is right
for you.

As someone who enjoys the GROWTH part of the “Self Growth Process”
I have invested in my fare share of self growth information programs.

Over the years I have found that there are four very important
questions to ask first to ensure that I receive the most
beneficial information for my particular problem.

Here they are in order:

1) Is the program or course SPECIFIC to your needs for solving
the problem?

It is one thing to spend hours and hours searching the Internet
for free information which offers a rather broad perspective on a
wide range of topics. You will find that narrowing your focus
allows you to pinpoint exactly what you are looking for.

For Example:

A program on how to break bad habits or one on self hypnosis for
rapid weight loss or to quit smoking, speaks directly to the
specific area and usually offers some kind of step by step
detail, which saves lots of time and helps you reach your goals
faster.

2) Who is the person presenting the information, how many people
has he/she helped and is it documented? (I realize this is really
three questions, but I think you see where I’m going.)

Most times I’m not just looking for information, I’m looking for
someone to teach me specific information through a step by step
system that has worked for people just like me, who are dealing
with the same problem.

I don’t care much about credentials, although seeing some
advanced study background is comforting, it means less to me
than proven results.

3) Does the program come with a money back guarantee?

Like I said, I invest in a lot of information, but it doesn’t just
sit on the shelf and collect dust. I apply it, then measure my
results.

If it inspires me to grow, I keep it. If not, it gets
sent back along with my suggestions on how I think the product
could be improved.

I have come to realize that not every program works for every
person so having a money back guarantee is very important.
With a money back guarantee you are never at risk of being stuck
with a program that didn’t work for you. Look for at least 90
days to 6 months.

4) Is there on going support and updates?

It is always nice to find a good newsletter that you enjoy
reading. Often times you will come across an inspiring story
that will keep you motivated to press on and achieve your goals.

Investing in yourself is a major key to personal growth. Invest
wisely by considering these four simple questions before you lay
down your hard earned money. The information you finally decide
on will have a more direct impact in your life.

(c) Andy Thompson - All Rights reserved.

Andy Thompson is a writer who enjoys the GROWTH part of the
Self Growth Process. His articles can be found in many
self-improvement e-zines on the Internet. Andy publishes
a Bad Habit Breaking 101 Newsletter and he recomends
Lee Milteer’s Proven 21 Day Habit Busting program, you can
read more about them both at http://www.BadHabitBreaking101.com

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NOTE: This article is one of the component parts of the 9-step WTA3 program contained in the ebook titled “The Action Path -Your Key to Success!” due out in 2005 at http://www.your-key-to-success.com/index_actionpath.html.

- Do you have a Burning Desire? -

Do you have a burning desire to lose weight and reduce your body fat to 10%?

Do you have a burning desire to get a flat, well-toned midsection?

Do you have a burning desire to increase your net worth to $500,000?

Do you have a burning desire to improve your personal relationships?

Do you have a burning desire to start a business next year?

Do you have a burning desire to reduce your credit card debt?

The key phrase is “Do you have a burning desire to…”. We all have hopes, dreams, wants and wishes. Do you have a ‘Burning Desire’ to make the right choices on a daily basis and take positive action steps toward your goals?

Let’s start with a common goal of reducing body fat or losing weight. While losing weight is a more common goal, reducing body fat to your body’s optimum level is the better route to take. For this illustration, imagine you had a personal goal of losing 10 lbs in 30 days. Because you’re smart, you know that losing weight can be accomplished by taking in fewer calories than you burn. This is a law of nature and makes logical sense. Even though we are aware of this basic principle, losing weight continues to be a difficult goal for many people to accomplish. Now the question; do you really have a ‘Burning Desire’ to lose 10 lbs in 30 days? If you’re like many, your answer is “…yes, I have a desire to lose weight…” but in reality you don’t have a ‘Burning Desire’.

Another source for creating your own ‘Burning Desire’ is a program from Tony Robbins titled, Get the Edge! You can see a product review of his program at http://www.your-key-to-success.com/product_gettheedge.html.

To further illustrate our day-to-day choices and the difference between a desire and a ‘Burning Desire’ let’s pretend that you are two days into your diet and you’re at your favorite hamburger restaurant for your usual lunch. What are you going to choose from the menu? What choice are you going to make?

Will it be the usual double cheeseburger, large fries and a soft drink?

Will it be a double cheeseburger, small fries and a small soft drink?

Will it be a single burger, no small fries and a diet soft drink?

Will it be a burger (no bun), small salad (light dressing) and water?

Will you leave your favorite hamburger restaurant and find a different place to eat?

Most will order the usual lunch or might only cut down slightly. You might even justify it by convincing yourself that later in the day you’ll eat less, you’ll exercise more at the gym or you need all this food because you are ’starving’. By choosing to order the usual lunch, you’ve made a choice to take action towards your goal of losing weight. Let me repeat in a slightly different way. By selecting the usual lunch, you have made a (wrong) choice to take (a negative) action towards your goal of losing weight. Every minute of every day you have the power, potential and intellect to make good choices that will help direct you to take positive actions towards meeting your goals. Will you succumb to a need for immediate gratification or can you delay it for a short period with your eye on the prize, of a larger, more gratifying long-term goal.

Was choosing the usual lunch the right choice for you to meet your goal of losing weight? It probably wasn’t the best choice, but only you can make the decision to make the right choice. Your decision to eat a high calorie lunch was probably based on a short-term craving and the need for immediate gratification. After the meal, you’ve met your short-term craving but you’ve moved farther away from your long-term goal of losing 10 lbs. You need to be aware that your day-to-day choices are often based on a superficial need to satisfy your immediate gratification. When short-term wins over long-term, it shows that your immediate gratification cravings have registered more votes in your brain. Your objective it to move the pendulum; make your long-term goals register more votes so you will automatically start taking more consistent and positive action steps. You need to create a ‘Burning Desire’ to make long-term win over short-term.

Don’t forget to check out the other examples, such as increasing your net worth, outlined in other chapters of this book. You can also check out a product review of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle at http://www.your-key-to-success.com/product_burnthefatfeedthemuscle.html.

Stop reading and take your first positive action step to create a ‘Burning Desire’. You can apply this technique to any goal. To make this exercise easier, use the form in the appendix section of this book.

• List at least 6 reasons why you want to attain a weight loss goal (or any other goal). List both the positive reasons (I want to look good for the Caribbean vacation) and the negative reasons (I can’t fit into my pants). Positive reasons are “What will I get if I attain this goal”. Negative reasons are “What will happen if I don’t attain this goal”.

• Next to each reason you listed above, write a short, visual description of that reason. It’s important that you visualize your reasons. If one of your reasons is “…I can’t fit into these pants…”, describe this visualization as a picture with your stomach hanging over the edge of your belt or waistband. Make sure you complete this visualization description for each reason. As you go through this visualization process you may start thinking of more reasons - go ahead jot them down on your list.

• Take 10-15 minutes and read your 6 (or more) reasons along with your visualization descriptions. Which one or two reasons trigger the most emotionally energized response?

• Take the top 1,2 or 3 emotionally energized reasons, write them down on a business card size piece of paper and place them in your wallet, purse, desk and/or car. For the next 3-5 days, take out this card and read the reasons and the visualization description out loud.

• By the end of the 3-5 days, if you still get emotionally energized and excited; congratulations, you now have created your own ‘Burning Desire’.

What if this didn’t work and you’re not emotionally excited - what if you didn’t create a ‘Burning Desire’. Your current goal has reverted back to a wish, a want, a dream or a hope. At this stage you have a few options. First, you should go back to step #1 and try this exercise again. Often during the first attempts, you may not have put enough time or energy into the process. Right now is the time to change for the better - take a positive action step and give it another chance. Second, if you’ve tried this exercise or other techniques and still can’t seem to create a ‘Burning Desire’, than you may need to pick another goal, abandon the goal or change the goal. Changing the goal is not giving up; changing the goal is often one of the best ways to get yourself re-energized, motivated and excited about moving forward.

By taking these 5 steps to create a ‘Burning Desire’ for each one of your goals (large or small), you will make your goals much more attainable, you will start to consistently meet more of your goals and you will have more fun along the path to success. This technique can be used in other areas of your life such as your business (career), your personal finances and your relationships. Other chapters in this book will provide the details on how to use this technique to succeed with more of your personal goals.

Author’s Personal Note: I have successfully used this technique in the area of weight loss and have lost 10 lbs (in 45 days), reduced my body fat by 3% and dropped from a 35-inch waist to a 32-inch waist. What was my ‘Burning Desire’? I had about seven of them, but two created the most passion and drive.

First, was when my youngest son commented about how big my stomach was getting and that I looked out of shape. This comment was my negative reason that drove me to make a change. If I didn’t attain this goal, I would continue to hear these comments . Second, I had a closet full of size 32 pants and was ready to go out a buy more tight-fitting 34 size pants. Since I personally don’t like (despise) spending money on clothes, I created a visualization of all the money I would save by not having to buy another 3-4 pairs of pants. If I did attain this goal, I would have another $150 to do what I love most - invest.

My personal visualization for the first reason was a flat stomach instead of the love handles and no ‘fat’ comments from my son. My visualization for the second reason was seeing $150 invested in 3 shares of a blue chip stock on my portfolio statement, instead of pants hanging in my closet. While my personal visualizations might not get you motivated, these visualizations created enough push, motivation and drive for me to change my dietary habits and eat right (not necessarily less) and exercise more often. Remember, each of you will have your own personal visualizations that will get you to take action.

It was the first time in my 40+ years that I’ve ever wanted to lose weight and while it was difficult to make these dietary and exercise changes; I sacrificed my short-term immediate gratification needs for the benefit and success of my long-term weight loss goal. Not only did I receive gratification from meeting my weight loss goal, but I received even more gratification by knowing that I could make the appropriate day-to-day choices to minimize my short-term immediate gratification needs to meet a long-term, more gratifying goal. It was worth the efforts. Other personal success stories can be found throughout this book.

It’s time for You to take Action!

What are you going to do right now to take one positive action step towards meeting one of your personal goals? To get the momentum moving in your favor, you need to take immediate action. After reading this article, take the next 30 minutes to complete this 5-step process for one of your goals? You don’t have 30 minutes, take 5 minutes to start the process. The key is to take Action. You owe it to yourself to be successful and one key component for making your personal goals attainable, is to create your own personal ‘Burning Desire’. Start it now!

About The Author

For more information about this ebook, “The Action Path - Your Key to Success!”, by Mike Matthews, please visit http://www.your-key-to-success.com/index_actionpath.html. Your-Key-to-Success.com provides a resource for articles, products and services to help you get motivated to take action and succeed with your goals in the areas of your personal finance, your business and your physical fitness. Remember - Dreams will determine what you want in life, Actions will determine what you get in life. Sign-up for our free newsletter at http://www.your-key-to-success.com/index_newsletter.html.

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