Words have power. Or do they?
Actually, yes they do. And the more aware you are of how powerful your words are, the more control over your response to situations you have AND the more likely it is you notice when someone reinforces a negative situation without realizing it… simply by what they say.
Often, something is said in jest, but the words have equally as much power as if they were said with complete sincerity.
Such was the case a few months ago when I stopped into a sporting good store to pick up a few supplies. I stopped in after a rather intense workout.
Still sporting my active wear, I was greeted by a woman I guessed to be a few years younger than me.
Looking me up and down, she commented on how healthy I look, followed by, “You’re so lucky. For most older women it’s so hard to get in shape.”
“Whoa!” I began. “Don’t even say that. Women have more control than we give ourselves credit for. Men too, but since you said, “Older women” let me tell you what my belief is.
“Whatever you affirm becomes your truth. If you believe you can’t have control over your health, then you are already setting the stage for failure. On the other hand, if you are willing to change what you say, likely you will change your behaviors. Change your behaviors, you change your life.”
I daresay, this woman was not expecting to hear this. Sheepishly she responded with, “You’re probably right.”
“Yup!” was my immediate response.
Regardless of what we say we want, what we say determines what we get. It’s really that simple.
Whether it’s weight loss, health, finances, relationships or cleaning our homes, the words we affirm support the outcome.
Resolutions Are More than Just Words
With the New Year upon us, men and women around the globe are setting resolutions.
The top resolutions are:
- Lose weight
- Exercise
- Stop smoking
- Pay off debt
- Save money
Rarely do people keep their resolutions for the entire year.
According to U.S. News, approximately 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February, so the odds are against you.
One reason is people inadvertently set themselves up for failure by what they unwittingly repeat to themselves. When you set resolutions, be sure to watch what you say to yourself. Affirm rather than negate.
Why Resolutions Don’t Work
If people don’t stick to resolutions, why do they set them? Simple. They want to believe “this time will be different.” Yet unless you change your words, thinking and actions, not much will change.
Does this mean you should simply throw up your hands and give up, resigning yourself to never making changes? Absolutely not.
What it does mean is coming up with a plan that is more realistic and involves daily actions toward the outcomes you seek.
Part of your daily actions are affirmations.
What Are You Committed to in the Coming year?
Whatever it is you say you want to change, you absolutely must be more committed to changing your words, behavior and actions than maintaining the status quo of your current behaviors.
The thing to keep in mind is this; you may not always feel like sticking with your plan of action. Be sure to put safeguards in place to assure success.
Words are your safeguard. On the flip side, one of the most self-defeating phrases is, “I’ll do this tomorrow.”
Tomorrow rarely comes. Saying you will do something tomorrow, start next week, begin in a few days, or whatever lies you tell yourself, is setting yourself up for failure.
The Diet Resolution
If you’re resolution is to lose weight, the best way to achieve weight loss is to affirm your body is achieving its optimal weight with your words.
Second, toss the diet. What?!?! Toss the diet?
Yes! Rather than doing the same thing over and over (trying the next fad diet) try something completely different; a sustainable and healthy eating protocol.
Over the years, I’ve likely tried dozens of “diets.” As expected, I lost weight but then gained it back… and some. After days, weeks, even months of calorie counting, deprivation and feeling hungry… a lot… I gave up. Each time I became more frustrated than the last.
Resigning myself to the fact I was getting older and had to accept the inevitable weight gain, sluggishness and less than stellar energy, I secretly wondered if I should just give up on weight loss altogether.
The diet merry-go-round came to an end when a few months ago, I did something different. I changed my food intake, not to lose weight, but to minimize joint inflammation. After extensive research, I decided to go plant based for seven days simply to see what the results would be. Click here for the full story of how I went from a seven day commitment to a lifestyle shift.
Results of a Plant Base Eating Protocol
In addition to being completely free of inflammation, I have experienced other incredible results.
- Weight loss without dieting or derivation (26 pounds to date)
- Improved mind clarity and focus
- No afternoon energy dips
- Better sleep
- Increased energy
- Faster recovery time after strenuous exercise (I run and weight train on a regular basis)
- Excellent state of mind
It didn’t take long at all to commit 100% to a plant based lifestyle. I love this way of eating and continue to reap the benefits. In addition, I encourage you to join my Facebook Group – Plant Based Eating for Health and the 7 Day Plant Based Reboot. All details are posted in the Facebook Group. I would love for you to join in.
When people ask me about how to go plant based, I always suggest they get the book Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. The book covers areas that many people may not consider when embarking on a plant based eating protocol.