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How to Make Changes in Your Life by Bill Cashell What do think is the number one New Year's resolution? If you guessed to Lose Weight, you were right. Of course, that was probably not too hard. Last Saturday I held my first weight loss seminar of the year and as I expected, it was a full house. What a great energized group! Year in and year out, those resolutions and sacrifices include diets, new fitness routines, healthier eating habits and perhaps quitting a dirty habit like smoking. Most only make it a few weeks at best. If you are struggling to make a change in your life, here a some suggestions that I give in the seminar: Focus on what you want instead of what you don't want. Your mind needs a clear picture of what you want it to create. When you say "I don't want to smoke" or "I don't want to over eat anymore", that doesn't give you mind a direction to go. It's like taking a vacation and saying "I don't want to go to Detroit". Where will you end up? You don't really know because you haven't given yourself a destination or direction. All you know is what you don't want. Also, what destination is clearly on your mind right now? That's right, it's Detroit. We're drawn toward what ever we focus on. If you want to be trim and healthy, imagine yourself as trim and healthy. If you want to stop smoking, imagine yourself as a nonsmoker. Learn to love yourself. Part of the title of my seminar is "Learning to Love Yourself More and Food Less". Recently the Discovery Health television network featured a story about a 600 pound man who had weight loss surgery because every diet had failed. After 6 months, he had lost 150 pounds. When they interviewed him, they asked how he felt. He was able to move better with much less pain. Then they said, "I'll bet you're really happy now". He replied, "No, I'm really not. The food filled a void in my life and now that I don't have it I feel like I lost my best friend". Until he learns to fill that void with something else, he will never lose that urge for emotional eating. Perhaps if he had done that first, he wouldn't need the surgery. Celebrate your wins and forget about regrets. Take pleasure in all the victories, big and small. This year, get to know somebody truly extraordinary. YOU! Get clear on who, what and where you are, determine your values and live your dreams. Laugh more. There's empirical and antidotal evidence that laughter may be the best medicine after all. Did you know that laughter boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, is a natural painkiller and releases endorphins? Love more. What's love got to do with it? Everything. "Love and intimacy are the root of what makes us sick and what makes us well, what causes sadness and what brings happiness, what makes us suffer and what leads to healing," Dr. Dean Ornish writes in his book, "Love & Survival: The Scientific Basis for the Healing Power of Intimacy". According to Ornish, "Our survival depends on the healing power of love, intimacy, and relationships." Count your blessings. Maintain an attitude of gratitude and spend time every day reflecting on the good stuff in your life. Take it a step further by keeping a gratitude journal. Focus on the result and not the process. If you need to exercise, focus on how good you will feel by exercising. Think of all of the benefits you will gain. If you think about the effort involved in exercising, you will never do it. The way you direct your mind will determine your success. | |