My Image

Am I happy that I just bought a size eight pair of jeans or am I annoyed that my weight has plateaued and I still have six pounds to go to my goal?

This may sound like a superficial question about my image, but, trust me, this is vital. It's vital because it speaks to how I see myself - inside and out. It's vital because it addresses how I view the world.

Really, I can step back from the weight question and assess the bigger picture. Do I spend my days exulting in my accomplishments or obsessing about the undones? Do I look for what's going right or do I zero in on what's going wrong?

Obviously, this is the whole glass-half-full versus the glass-half-empty debate. Long ago, I retrained my brain to be aware of the powerful and wonderful. It would seem this whole weight loss thing has brought it back for reexamination. I have come to realize that I've taken precious little time to applaud my weight loss success. I've glossed over my dedication to good health in order to zoom in on my need to go further.

Clearly, I need to stop right here and realign. This is the stuff that anorexics and bulimics are made of. This is something I need to be firm and clear on so that I model the right behavior for my two year old girl who has recently explored the idea of "fat" (See Mya's blog).

Usually, to realign my thought patterns, I need to find the right words. Once I have a phrase or word that captures my new mindset, I focus on that for a few days or weeks or months until I have made the thought the belief. It's a case of saying it often enough so that it becomes true.

My new image mantra? I may have to mull it over for a bit, but it might go something like this .... I am perfect right this moment. I am committed to living healthy. I choose to focus on living well not weighing less. I am satisfied.

Aaahaaa.... that last phrase captures it. It's about satisfaction versus dissatisfaction. I choose satisfaction. I am satisfied. With that phrase, I take a deep breath and can tell I'm being authentic.