Six in the morning.
My heart was pounding. Goose bumps had enveloped my entire body.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the loud speaker shattered the dawn, “let the 2012 Auckland Marathon commence….. 5…4…3…2….1…..GOOOOOOOOO…..”
I started running.
During the countdown my mind generated every single self-sabotage-y thought I’d had when I ran my first marathon over 10 years ago.
“Oh crap, maybe I didn’t do enough speed work?”
“Heavens, what if I’ve done too much speed work?
“What if I can’t do this?”
“What if I fail?”
Whether you’re on the start line of your local run or starting on the weight loss journey, entering the unknown often triggers an avalanche of self-doubt.
Your mind chatters with unsupportive stuff like: you’re too big, too old, too heavy, or somehow insinuates a lack of willpower or the intelligence to “make it”.
If you unpack the doubts, they mostly boil down to the same fear: “What if I’m not good enough.”
And it can cripple you and keep you stuck…if you let it.
Do these kinds of thoughts ever stop you doing what you want to do? Are they preventing you from being at your happy weight?
If so, read on so you can learn how to deal with the “I’m not good enough” fear, once and for all.
The platform of your mind
Here’s a powerful technique that you can use whenever you need to shake off fear and self-doubt.
From now on, I want you to think about your thoughts as being a train pulling into the platform of your mind.
I know, it sounds crazy, but work with me here.
Just as if you wanted to get to New York, you’d not bother jumping on a train labelled Los Angeles.
If you want to get to your happy weight, then you need to jump on the specific thought trains that move you closer to that destination.
Not further away.
We humans have a lazy habit of leaping on onto any train that comes into our head.
And, you’ve probably already noticed, that when you’re pushing boundaries and you’re outside your comfort zone, those self-doubt trains pull into the platform of your mind, thick and fast!
Which direction is this train going?
Consciously choose which thoughts you want to jump onto and which ones you want to let pass.
Ask yourself, “Is this thought going to lead me closer to optimal health and my happy weight?”
If not, do not board. Let it pass (and it will). The train might hang around for a while waiting for late comers, but if you make it clear you have no ticket for that destination, it will move on.
Just so you know, this technique won’t remove all unwanted negative thoughts from your mind. These thoughts are a function of being human, they’re perfectly normal – but it will help you regain your power over them, so you can do the thing that you wouldn’t have done if you’d leapt on the train of self-doubt.
“But it’s automatic!”
Very often when fearful thoughts arise, we exclaim, “I just can’t help it – it’s automatic”, which is just another way of giving away our power as we jump on the wrong train. You can help it, it is within your control, sweetheart.
Simply cast away your fearful thoughts as they pull into the station. Those fearful thoughts are not who you really are – it’s just an outdated, un-resourceful train you used to ride. Toot toot.
Love etc, Avril
PS: If find yourself jumping on unhelpful thought trains and can’t seem to ever arrive at your destination, hypnotherapy might just be the answer for you. Drop me a line and I’ll see what I can do about getting you a ticket to your happy weight.
Christine
I cannot leave sugar alone, it doesn’t make any difference how I try to think about leaving it alone, whether it’s getting on the right train to thinking about the harm it’s doing to my body. Just haven’t got the will, let alone the power to stop. I do eat good things, but always, always have sugar every single day. It does not make me feel good.