What can you find in your life at this very moment to be thankful for? I bet that you can come up with 100’s if not 1000’s of things.
I think that it is very important to be thankful for where you are right now, setting aside the fact that you are 10, 50, 100, or 200+ pounds overweight.
Many people pin their happiness on that magic number on the scale, thinking that “if I only lose weight, my life will be perfect, I won’t have any more problems”.
I see a danger in this kind of thinking because you are essentially “putting off” your life. It is as if your life will not begin until some distant time in the future, when you reach that perfect weight. Instead, your life has already begun; you are living it right now.
While it is true that when you lose weight and obtain the fittest body possible that you will have more energy, feel fabulous, enjoy shopping for clothes, and be more active in life, it still does not mean that all of your problems will disappear.
I find that remembering this can help tremendously with my level of motivation to stick with my weight loss plan today. I no longer buy into this way of thinking like I used to, however I have twinges of it every now and then. It is important to get out there and live your life today, don’t wait for the future after you have lost weight.
By focusing on the positive in your life, all of the good stuff that you have to be thankful for, you will bring yourself back to the present moment and be living in the now rather than in the future.
A very large side benefit of looking for all the good in your life and giving thanks for it is that your attitude will naturally be uplifted and become more positive. This will serve the purpose of getting your mind off of any negative feelings that you have towards yourself and your overweight. The more that you can feel good in the present moment, the higher the possibility that you will maintain your motivation to lose weight.
You see, it all works together: Feel good now (instead of in the future after losing weight), and it is easier to stay motivated to lose the weight (instead of focusing on the negative, i.e.: how much you weigh now). Finding everything that you have to be thankful for is a simple way to help yourself to feel good. The better you feel, the more motivated you will naturally be.
I encourage you to make a list of everything that you have to be thankful for today and see if it changes your perspective and your level of motivation. Focus on all that is good in your life now. You can start with your physical body, and then move on to your family, friends, pets, home, job, material possessions, anything that you can come up with (I give thanks for all sorts of things: indoor plumbing, air conditioning, indoor heat, paved roads… 🙂 ).
This is where you are now and no matter what your weight is, you are already on the stage of your life. Live your life today and strive to feel as good as you can; don’t wait for the future when the scale shows you that magical number.
