There are different cornerstones of prosperity and health is a big part of that. And when it comes to releasing weight, there are specific things that we must do. However, there are more important critical ways that we must be. Today I want to talk about the art of being and the art of identity as it relates to our health and to our body image.
Closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be isn’t about more strategies, tactics, or tools. It’s a shift in identity and a shift in your internal thought processes. Our reality is built through our habits, but if we want to change these habits in a fun and easy way, we need to shift our thoughts first!
Why I Didn’t Want to Do Just Another Diet
When I was finally ready to release my weight (read: I was fed up with myself), I knew I had to take a different approach. I didn’t want to do just another diet, although I was good at dieting. The problem was what comes after – maintenance has always been an issue.
And although I didn’t realize it at the time, what I needed to do was shift my identity. It all started with accepting and understanding where I was. There was a lot of negative self-talk involved, so I knew I had to come to a place of self-love first. Massive awareness, zero judgment!
The first thing I did was get on a scale and realize there was a gap between where I was and where I wanted to be. But, to close this gap, we need to start where we are. The change was necessary, a lot of things needed to change. But what needs to change more than anything, more than nutrition plans and exercise plans, it’s the identity.
What Is Identity and What Does It Mean to Shift It
Strategies, tactics, and tools are just a part of our weight loss journey. They support us in making the necessary changes, but it’s the internal shift that makes everything possible.
When I say identity, I think of the building blocks of our personalities. We as humans identify with just about anything, and sometimes we grow up or grow into people who identify with unhealthy habits, thoughts, and behaviors.
We claim all these things as parts of our identity, but what we need to do is take a good look in the mirror. Are these habits serving who we want to become?
Before you do anything, you need to identify habits and thoughts, and behaviors that are not serving you. Then, you should start identifying those habits that will help you reach your desired level of energy and weight.
In simpler terms, a shift in identity means you’re going to get a slightly different version of yourself. This doesn’t happen all of a sudden – you shift your identity as you go.
Why is this needed? Well, if the person you are now had everything that you needed to be where you want to be, you’d have been there by now. If you knew how to do it, you would have already done it. And if you knew how to sustain it, you would have already sustained it. So, this level of the person that you’re showing up as right now is not the person that’s going to get the results that you want.
The Six Steps That Will Help You Shift Your Identity
The three things that make up our identity are our habits, thoughts, and skills. The habits create our reality, but they are a product of our thoughts. So, we need to look at the source if we want to evolve.
The six steps that we need to take to shift our identity are pretty straightforward. They’re easy to implement and quite simple.
#1 Know Who You Are Right Now
What do you do? What do you think in relation to your body? Are you filled with self-loathing? Are you filled with self-hatred? These are the questions to ask yourself as you go through the first step.
The answers will allow you to take stock of where you are and move forward in self-love.
#2 Know Your Skills
Chances are, you’ve tried to release weight before. You know how to eat healthily, you know what you like, you’ve read a ton of books, you know which exercises work for you.
These are the skills you’re bringing to the table, so make sure to write those down.
#3 Know How You Think
What are the thought patterns you have in relation to food? What do you think about weight loss? What’s your view of eating healthy? What do you think about maintaining your ideal weight? What are the thoughts that come to your mind?
These questions will help you redefine and cement some fundamental principles in relation to your personal weight loss journey.
#4 Know Your Routine
Do you get stuck in ruts really easily? Do you get stuck in thoughts? How do you process things? What kind of support do you need?
Another important step that will help you establish new habits as you understand the way your mind builds up your routines.
#5 Know Your View of the World
And I don’t mean your political opinions. Decide right now: do you live in a hostile or friendly universe? Is the world favorable to your desires? Do you feel the support you need to succeed? Is the universe friendly to you, does it want you to be happy and joyful?
Personally, I think it’s very important to decide we live in a friendly universe!
#6 Are You Willing to Learn New Things
Shifting your identity means being ready to learn new skills and be honest. Are you willing to do that?
For me, I knew I needed to learn new things because I wanted to have a different experience. I wanted my weight loss journey to be fun, easy, and pleasurable (totally possible!) so I had to learn new inner game strategies that would allow this experience.
Are You Enhancing or Escaping Your Life?
This was one of the most important questions that helped me shift. I wanted to identify with a healthy, slim woman, and she didn’t eat food for comfort. She drank tea, or danced, or went for a walk.
And if she wanted to have dessert sometimes, she could do it, but only if that dessert would enhance an already magical dining experience. No more peanut M&Ms in front of the TV – that was pure escapism.
Here are some other questions that helped me shift my identity and lose 45 pounds:
- Do you keep promises to yourself as often as you keep promises to others?
- What do your habits look like day to day? Are these habits that you want to keep, tweak, or abandon?
- Looking at food in a store, ask yourself: is this thing right here going to lead me to where I want to be?
My dear prosperity seeker, your weight loss journey gets to be easy, fun, and joyful. You get to have a profoundly spiritual experience if that’s what you want it to be. It doesn’t have to be grueling. It doesn’t have to be unbearable.
Start where you are and make simple shifts as you go. Before you even notice what’s going on, you will be the healthy, energetic, and happy woman you deserve to be.
Additional resources
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