FAITH, THE FLIP SIDE OF FEAR

You have decided on your goals. You have written them down. You have given your goals “legs” to support them. You have set a deadline to achieving your goals. You are focusing on their achievement. Now what? Once you have planted the goal seeds in your mind, you must water them with faith. Faith is not religion. Faith is simply persistence. Faith is the flip side of fear, which would keep you frozen in one place forever. When you persist or keep working toward achieving your goal, you are demonstrating faith. If you did not have faith, you would never persist; you would give in to fear. In other words, faith is expecting to succeed.

As you go forward on this fat-loss journey, I want you to adopt the attitude that you can do it. You will succeed. Go out and buy an outfit that is two sizes smaller. Plan on attending your high school reunion. Buy a ticket for a beach vacation. Do these things with the belief that you will be fit and healthy when that day comes.

Whenever I talk about faith I am reminded of an individual who had so much faith that he changed the world of track and field forever. His name was Roger Bannister and the year was 1954. Roger had a dream. His dream was to run a mile in under four minutes at the summer Olympic Games. Up until that time, it was believed to be impossible, but Roger did not accept this. He believed that he could break the record. And break it he did. Roger did the impossible and ran the mile in three minutes, 59.4 seconds. Roger did not accept what everyone around him was saying. He expected to succeed and in doing so paved the way for others. Within 10 years of his accomplishment, no less than 336 other runners accomplished the same goal. 

But it took the faith of one person to break through the psychological barriers that were keeping others from

achieving this goal. So what are you to do if you do not have any faith? I have good news: Faith is abundant, free, and easy to acquire. All you have to do to possess faith is to act as if what you want is already yours.

Act as if you are healthy by eating healthy foods.

Act as if you are fit by exercising regularly.

Act as if you are happy by remaining calm and cheerful and in the moment.

Act as if you cannot fail by never giving up on achieving your goal.

William James, the great American psychologist, once wrote, “To feel brave, act as if we were brave.” And this is what you must do. Believe that you will succeed. Act as if you are already in possession of that which you seek. Stay in character each and every day and never quit. If you happen to falter in a moment of weakness, simply forgive yourself, refocus, and move on. This persistence—this faith—is what’s truly necessary for your success.

The practice of deciding on, working toward, and achieving powerful, life changing goals is a process that you can continue throughout your life. By doing so you are taking hold of the rudder that steers your destiny. It has been said that success is a journey and not a destination. I challenge you to focus on making your journey a trip to remember.

BECOME A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH

The most effective way I know to stay focused is to do something every day that will move you in the direction of achieving your goal.

Schedule time to go to the gym. Success is planned; failure isn’t. Make a commitment to go to the gym by asking a friend to meet you or by hiring a personal trainer who will hold you accountable if you miss the appointment. Better still, record in your daytimer exactly when you should eat and exercise and hold yourself accountable for sticking to the behavior goals you have set.

Read motivational books and articles on health and fitness. Be sure to read something related to healthy, successful living each and every day. Choose materials that instruct and inspire you. It doesn’t matter if this is a short article or an entire set of books—just read. By doing this you will continually refocus your

mind on becoming and staying fit and healthy.

Go for a walk outdoors. Breathe deeply and swing your arms while you walk. Try to choose a path that takes you through a wooded area. Enjoy the sights and sounds of nature while you focus on your goals.

Purchase healthy foods from your grocery store. Go to your local organic garden center and purchase some fresh vegetables and fruits. In the summer, go to the organic fruit market and buy some delicious berries. In the fall, frequent a farmers’ market for some fantastic fresh, seasonal produce. By purchasing healthy fruits and vegetables, you are focusing on the importance of feeding your body nutrient-dense, calorie-sparse foods.

Practise daily distressing techniques. Being stressed out does little to improve focus. Manage your stress with two proven stress-reduction techniques—prayer and/or meditation. Practise these time-tested stress reducers daily and feel the

difference they will make in your life.

Spend time each day thinking about your goal. The garden of your subconscious mind will grow any thought you plant—it does not discriminate. Therefore, it is very important that you think only about what you want, not what you do not want. By focusing on what you want to happen, you are programming your mind

to move in a positive direction.

FOCUS POWER

Setting a goal is not unlike turning on the autopilot function of an airplane. Once you plant that goal in your mind, your subconscious mind will begin to steer you in the right direction. However, also like the autopilot function of an airplane, once you have set your course, you must continue to pay attention and monitor progress. It is important to remain alert and to guard against external forces that may distract you from your purpose. You must remain focused on achieving your goals.

Controlled focus is a powerful tool that can be used to break through any obstacle that is stopping you from achieving your goal. An example of the power of focus can be found by looking at the sun. On most days, each of us has the opportunity to go outside and bask in the light of the sun. Because the sun’s rays are spread out all around us, we feel only the warmth upon our skin. However, if we take out a magnifying glass and hold it under the sun’s light we can easily set fire to a piece of paper. When light is concentrated even more it

becomes a laser beam with the ability to cut through steel. By focusing light, we

are able to concentrate its power into a force to be reckoned with.

DEADLINES = ACHIEVEMENT

At one time or another, especially through our childhood years, we all had dreams. Dreams filled our young imaginations with awe and excitement. Now that we are older, our dreams stay in the back of our minds and are not an actualized part of our lives. But why is this so often the case? Why is it that so many of us fail to have our dreams materialize? The answer lies in deadlines. You have heard it before: Goals are dreams with a deadline. It is one thing to say to yourself, “One day, I am going to have a lean and healthy body.” After all, this is just a dream—there is no pressure to actually do anything about it. It is quite another thing to say, “In three months, I am going to have 15 percent body fat and a 28-inch waist.”

Deadlines are perhaps the single most effective method of increasing productivity. Who hasn’t put something off until the last possible minute only to complete the required task in a flurry of sudden productivity? This is the power of positive pressure through the use of deadlines. Once you attach a deadline to your dream of getting in shape, improving your health, or breaking a habit, you have transformed your dream into a goal.

• I will achieve my outcome goal #1 by __________.
• I will achieve my behavior goal 1a by  __________ .
• I will achieve my behavior goal 1b by  __________ .
• I will achieve my outcome goal #2 by  __________ .
• I will achieve my behavior goal 2a by  __________ .
• I will achieve my behavior goal 2b by  __________ .
• I will achieve my outcome goal #3 by  __________ .
• I will achieve my behavior goal 3a by  __________ .
• I will achieve my behavior goal 3b by  __________ .

QUESTIONS CREATE DESIRE

Do you value your health? Do you value your physical body? You’ve bought this book, so of course you do. Now, ask yourself why do you value your health? Why do you value your body? What would it feel like if you did not have the health you enjoy today? How would you feel if you had decreased mobility? Have you ever stopped to think about this? Anyone who has ever visited or cared for people who are losing their health

has experienced a heightened appreciation of their own well-being, mobility, health, and vitality.

Acknowledging the reasons why you value your body and health will help create the leverage necessary to support you in the achievement of your goals. Ask yourself the following questions in order to help find your 

reasons:

Am I happy with myself?

Do I want a better life for myself?

What will my health be like in one year if I do not make any changes?

What will my body and health be like in five years if I do not make any

changes?

Do I love myself?

Am I proud of who I am?

Why do I want to change?

How will I feel once I make the changes I desire?

What will my life be like once I have achieved my goals?

What will it feel like to have the body and health I have envisioned for myself?

Your answers to these questions contain powerful reasons for achieving your goals. Once you have identified these reasons, you will have given your goals strong support or “legs” on which to stand on. Next, I want you to write these reasons down in a notebook or wallet card together with your goals. Whenever you feel like binge eating, skipping workouts, or quitting all together, reread what you have written. The more you do this, the more often you will reinforce your positive, goal-achieving behavior, and the easier it will become for you. As a matter of fact, after a while it will become a part of your very being.

YOU WANT IT, BUT WHY?

Now that you have set your goals, it is important to clearly identify reasons that support your goals. Most people would love to have a healthier, leaner, more energetic body, so why are they not doing anything about it? Do you think that these same people would take action if their doctor told them they will be dead in 90 days if they do not lose 20 pounds of fat? You bet! So why is that? Why does it always take something significant to move us to action? The answer lies in the reasons we use to justify our behavior.

When you attach powerful and motivating reasons for behaving a certain way, you get leverage and can follow through with that new behavior. For example, I know that if I do not get up tomorrow morning at 6:30 a.m., I will not be able to make it to my first training appointment at 8:00 a.m. If I am late or miss my appointment, I may lose my client, resulting in a loss of income (not good).

This will also disappoint my business partner, who depends on me each day. Of course I would like to sleep in—that feels good at the moment—but the reason I have attached to getting up has given me the leverage I need to overcome my desire for extra sleep.

The key to achieving your goals lies in attaching powerful, emotionally charged reasons that support your new behavior. These reasons will then work to instill within you a burning desire to succeed. The more intense the desire, the greater the results.

BRIDGING THE GAP

Whenever I go grocery shopping I pay attention to the foods that people are buying in the checkout line ahead of me. It comes as no surprise that the person who has a cart full of vegetables, fresh fruits, and lean proteins tends to be someone who is in good shape. Conversely, when a cart is filled with ice cream, frozen pizza, white flour products, and soft drinks, that shopper’s physical body reflects those choices. The other day I observed such a person reading a well-known diet and fitness book, her cart filled with high-glycemic and refined foods. This person was also dressed in workout clothes, which led me to believe that she had an interest in improving her health and fitness. But why such poor food choices? Was I to accept the possibility that she had no idea that ice cream and soda pop are unhealthy food choices?

This woman, like millions of others, has not found a way of bridging the gap between knowing and doing. We all want to make positive changes, and we know to a certain degree what we should and should not be doing. Why is it that so many of us do not apply the knowledge we have learned? The answer lies in goals. Setting goals bridges the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it.

Two Types of Goals

While all goals should conform to the SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timeframed) principle, there are two types of goals I want you to focus on to achieve success with the Fat-Fighter Diet:

1. Behavior goals

2. Outcome goals

Behavior goals are specific, focused activities that are required in order to achieve the larger outcome goal. You can’t have one without the other. Let’s say your outcome goal is to lose 10 pounds of body fat. In order to accomplish this, you must become serious about your nutrition program. Perhaps you have fallen into the habit of eating before bed, which is keeping your fat loss on hold. In order to achieve your outcome goal (lose 10 pounds of fat), you must identify the behavior (eating before bed) that is keeping you from  doing so. Once you have identified the problem, you can set a behavior goal of eating your last meal before eight o’clock in the evening, not right before bed.

Fat-Fighter Goal Setting

Take the time to identify and write down three outcome goals and six behavior

goals:

• My outcome goal #1______________________
• My behavior goal 1a______________________
• My behavior goal 1b______________________
• My outcome goal #2______________________
• My behavior goal 2a______________________
• My behavior goal 2b______________________
• My outcome goal #3______________________
• My behavior goal 3a______________________
• My behavior goal 3b______________________

NOTE: As you continue to read The Fat-Fighter Diet and become a fat loss expert, you will discover new information that may affect your behavior goals. Once you have finished reading this book, be sure to return to this section to review and update your behavior goals.

The Importance of Repetition

Now that you have identified your outcome and behavior goals, it is important that you read them twice per day to register them into your subconscious mind. Once registered, your subconscious mind, which is responsible for autonomic functions of your body such as breathing and heart rate, will then help guide you toward the achievement of your goals. When you read your goals, picture yourself as having already achieved them.

Read each goal with enthusiasm and passion. In addition, rewrite your goals once per week. The act of writing out your goals is an even more effective way of programming your subconscious than reading them.

Establish Accountability

Tell your friends, family, or coworkers about the goals you have just set. By telling people about your goals, you are establishing accountability for their achievement. Knowing that people close to you are aware of your intentions can be a powerful motivator when you are tempted to give up.

ACTION

Decide what you want to achieve. Identify and record your outcome and behavior goals. Read and rewrite your goals each day. Tell your friends about what you are going to accomplish. From this point on, your energy, your focus, and your life will be defined in relation to the goals you have just set.

GOAL SETTING: THE KEY TO BECOMING

The single biggest factor when determining whether a person will be successful lies in that person’s ability to decide on exactly what it is that he or she wants. In other words, the biggest step to getting yourself into great shape or vibrant health is simply making up your mind and acting accordingly. When you make the decision that you will no longer accept your current body, life, or health, you have taken the crucial first step toward improving your life. The person you are today is the result of all the decisions you have made in your life up to this moment. Everything begins with a committed decision: It is not your destiny to always be overweight, to feel like your life is in limbo, or that you cannot get a break. If you are feeling this way, you simply have not made a committed decision to becoming who you really want to be. If you are not absolutely convinced that you need to make a change, then you might as well stop reading right now. Transforming your body and health will require total commitment and effort, and if you have not made the decision to stick with this program, you will probably fail. It is important to tell yourself that no matter what obstacles get in your way, you will remain totally committed to achieving your goal. Once you have this conviction, simply do the work required to get there. The world gets behind the woman or man with a plan. It is truly amazing. Once you decide what it is you want, the entire universe conspires to bring it to pass.

In a famous 1953 Harvard University study, researchers discovered that 3 percent of graduating students wrote down their fiscal goals for the future. Twenty years later, this class was revisited. The 3 percent who had written down their goals were worth more financially than the other 97 percent combined.

Goals are specific, measurable results that you would like to achieve at a determined time in the future. Goal setting is a proven and powerful success technique and it is crucial to directing your energy toward the tasks you wish to accomplish. Once you make the decision to set and achieve small goals, you will start to set bigger goals. Before you know it, you will be doing things you had never dreamed possible. Achieving goals creates an attitude of optimism, and the optimistic mind is a fertile ground for new opportunities. When you are positive and optimistic, you will attract more of the same into your life.