Making a shift in your day-to-day behaviors may be easier than previously imagined. By deep relaxation, focusing and repeating motivational and inspirational quotes, you are better prepared to change your thought patterns, behaviors and in turn, change your life.

Here’s a process for change……..

“It’s often hard when I have to, but significantly easier when I want to.”

If we believe something to be easy, we find little, if any struggle in accomplishing it. However, when you imagine something to be difficult, then your struggle becomes greater. If you think about it, when you’ve thought something would be difficult, did it not normally prove itself out and it was a struggle?

Think about this. You wake up one morning and decide “This is the day I start losing weight. When things get difficult, I will not reach for junk food, but instead I will focus on something else to keep my mind occupied. It’ll be tough at first, but I’m going to give it a try.”

If this is your thinking pattern and belief, don’t be surprised to find yourself struggling more often than not. Why?

If we look at this example closely we find a couple of thought patterns and beliefs already in place. We have determined to do something good for ourselves, but we do ourselves a disservice by choosing certain negative thought patterns, beliefs and words that go along with it.

We have said, “When things get difficult….”
(This is already assuming that there will be difficult moments! Strike one!)

“It’ll be tough at first…”
(This is already assuming it will be difficult at first! Strike two!)

“…but I’m going to give it a try.”
(Remember Yoda…”There is no “try”—either do, or do not!”. Strike three!)

Now there are hundreds of products out there that will assist people in losing weight. Some, if not all of them, may work for various people at various stages of their goal. But for many people who have convinced themselves that losing weight is difficult, some products may fall short when our thought patterns are stronger than our desire to change.

Here is something I had a client do that assisted in making a desired change.

She lost 20lbs in about 16 weeks. She didn’t like the way she looked, felt or even thought for that matter. She needed to change and take some action towards it.

First, she needed to change my way she thought about losing weight. Her old thought patterns were no longer working in a way that served her. Her thoughts were small photos of her as heavy. She consciously chose a new set of images for her mental photo journal.

She also changed her negative self-talk. She began to focus on, “This is going to flow smoothly, and I’ll drop the weight with ease.”

Second, she consciously chose a word each morning to assist her in staying on track. The word she chose needed to be in relation to the change she want to make. For example, she could tell herself “Relax” as she took a deep breath, to calm herself and let go of tension (which at times prodded her to snack.) Choose any word as long as it relates to your desired goal. (Attitude, Energy, Focus, Action, Believe, Calm……..)

Third, find motivational and inspirational quotes that related to the “word” theme for the day. Make this a quote that is easy to remember.

Here’s a key component—the mental image, word and affirmation phrase need to give you an uplifting feeling. The positive, “can do” feeling is a crucial component of this working.

Here’s a few quotes she liked that assisted in keeping her on track.

“The only way to discover the limits of the possible, is to go beyond them into them impossible.” Arthur C. Clarke

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” Buddha

“What lies behind us and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

These sayings assisted her in keeping focused on the process, and what she desired to attain.

I recommend writing them on a paper you can carry with you. Through your day, you pull them out when ever they cross your mind, and you spend a minute or so affirming and picturing your new reality.

When you change your inner landscape, you begin to change as a person. When you design the new you, and make it real within, your mind goes to work to make it real for you.

Again, here are the three steps:

1. Alter your way of thinking about what you are wanting to change. Create images that fit with the new you.

2. Choose a word theme for each day that you can focus on to change that behavior.

3. Find a minimum of three motivational or inspirational quotes related to the change you desire, and that are powerful enough to alter your thought patterns the moment you read them. Contemplate them. Repeat them, silently or out loud, every chance you get.

Staying with this for a month or more makes a major difference in the process you want to achieve. Relax. Give yourself some time.

Stick with it and you can create the life you desire.