One of my goals right now is to cut out artificial sugars to see how it affects my body. The one downside to this little experiment is that it really limits my caffeine sources because I do not like coffee and the other caffeine drinks I used to have, all had artificial sugars in them. When I began my little experiment, I found myself becoming very focused on the fact that, in addition to not having artificial sugars, I would not be able to have any caffeine either because I would NEVER find a drink I could have. The more I focused on this, the more negative I became about the whole situation, and the more I wanted to give up on my little experiment. Then one day I took the time to look around and actually explore what other options might be out there. And guess what…..I found all kinds of drinks I could have! Once I realized all the possible options I do have, my attitude about my experiment began to change and it did not seem as daunting as it was in the beginning.
Going through this little situation reminded me how we can easily limit ourselves when we only focus on what we can’t have verses what we can have. This in turn could lead us to quit something we have started, even if it is something really want. Like when you are starting to lose weight and all you focus on is the fact that you can’t have that cookie, rather than focusing on what you can have once you lose the weight like fitting comfortably in your jeans, or walking into a room full of people and feeling confident in your body, or playing with your kids without getting out of breath. Once you begin focusing on these amazing things you can have, a whole new world opens up that you didn’t even realize that was out there.
So my question for you is, what negative aspect of your weight loss process are you looking negatively at? How can you turn your focus into something positive?