Weight Loss Motivation Tip #4: Who Are You Becoming? – Part 2
This is Part 2 of this post…you can find Part 1 here.
Picking up where I left off…
So you want to be asking yourself: “How well am I making that choice?” Because the quality of that choice defines who you are becoming. 
Example 1:
You’re driving down the road on your way to work. You’re running about 10 minutes late. Your boss doesn’t make a big deal out of it, but it still makes you a bit uncomfortable because it seems to be happening more often of late because your son is slow getting himself together in the morning. All of a sudden, somebody comes and cuts you off…didn’t even have the nerve to use their turn signal.
Do you:
A) Yell “F#$% YOU!” at the top of your lungs, and roll down the window and show him what an elegant, well-groomed middle finger you have?
B) Keep your mouth shut, but ruminate on how the drivers in your town are certainly the worst in the state (if not the region), that people are inherently stupid, and then head straight to the kitchen at work to get a coffee and a couple donuts that Sheila in accounting brought in (there’s ALWAYS something there to nibble on)?
C) Take a deep breath, slow down a little bit, roll your eyes (it was a pretty clueless move by the other guy after all), and then become more mindful about how you’re driving? Life is precious, and you need to stay awake and alert sometimes. You reflect on the good things in your life for the rest of your drive
Example 2:
Your husband comes in the house grouchy after a bad day (boss is a jerk, traffic sucked, didn’t close the account he’s been working on for a month) and starts complaining about the laundry not being folded in the living room and dinner not even started yet.
Do you:
A) Go into defense/anger, lash out and retaliate?
B) Say nothing, but inwardly become very angry, and head to the refrigerator for a glass of wine or big piece of Belgian chocolate?
C) Take a deep breath, relax your body, recognize that his anger is about him and not about you. Maybe you politely disengage so he can get his act together, or maybe you patiently listen to him and help him work through the events of the day?
You get the idea. The choices you make now give birth to the habits with which you live your life. How you react to things now shapes who you’re becoming (later, tomorrow, 10 years from now, maybe in the next life if you believe in that).
Action Step:
At least 3 times today, catch yourself when you’re being unconscious, just going through the motions, and acting out of habit and pattern. If you have to set an alarm on your computer, your phone or your watch (if you’re a geek like me who still wears a watch with an alarm on it) then do so. Either way, make sure you “catch yourself” 3 times today.
When you do, ask yourself, “is the person I am being right now the same as the person I want to become”?
If the answer is yes, then awesome! If the answer is no, then ask yourself, “what shift do I have to make right now so I am being the person I want to become?”
- Maybe you need to take a deep breath, and stop focusing on snarky remark your girlfriend made to you yesterday. Put your attention on something positive and worthy of your attention.
- Maybe you need to adjust your posture to shift into a more calm, controlled, positive state.
- Maybe you need to let the tension out of your jaw or stomach and start focusing on how much you enjoy your kids rather than how much your co-workers talk about negative gossip over lunch.
Get in the habit of catching yourself when you’re being unconscious or when you’re plain off track and in a funky mood. Recognize that the choice you’re making right now is shaping the choice you’ll make later, tomorrow, and in a year.
Think about how this applies to your eating habits and your diet. How are your food choices affecting who you are becoming? How are they shaping your body (literally!)?
Just recognizing that you have a choice is the first step to making a better choice. It helps you become mindful of what you’re doing, and it creates the window through which you can start to shape who you really want to become.
Tags: Anger, Bad Day, Belgian Chocolate, motivation, Nerve, Nibble, Road Rage