If you doubt that you can successfully lose weight (and keep it off), just how motivated will you be to begin?

I’ve needed to put in a new kitchen sink with a new faucet and garbage disposal for almost a year now.

I finally tackled this project yesterday (with some help, it’s a cast iron sink! 😉 ), and I realize that the reason I held off on it for so long is because I doubted that I could successfully complete it.

I knew I could do part of it since I’ve replaced many faucets before (I love DIY), however I was not 100% certain about the entire project. My doubts held me back from starting this project for just shy of an entire year! What if you do this with your weight loss program, because you doubt that you can truly succeed and achieve your goals?

The same self-doubt that held me back can also hold you back from taking the plunge to make the necessary changes in your lifestyle to lose weight and get fit. You will continue to hold off on starting a weight loss and exercise program because you doubt that: you can do it, you will do it perfectly, the changes that you make will really take the weight off, or you doubt that you could ever really change. Maybe you think that “you’re fat, and that’s just the way it is“.

In order to achieve your goals of weight loss and fitness, you must first believe in yourself, believe that you can be successful. It does not matter how much anyone else believes in you (although it can help!), it all comes down to how much you believe in yourself. When you believe in yourself and your ability to lose weight and get fit, your motivation level will soar! 🙂

This is part one of a two part series on believing in yourself. Tomorrow I will follow up with tips on how to build up belief in yourself and release self-doubt in order to raise your level of motivation to lose weight.