Robert Anton Wilson wrote an excellent book called 'Prometheus Rising', where he stated that the human mind has two major parts. The first part is the thinker that decides what you think and how you think. The second part is the prover which takes those thoughts and proves them to be correct.
When I read this last year it hit a big note with me in terms of how dieters talk, and how they perceive themselves. The thinker part of the brain is very flexible in what it can think. It can change it's mind at the flick of a switch, but the prover is much more rigid and will always go on the current thought of the dieter.
If someone says they are "useless" at dieting, the prover part of the mind will go away and try and prove that. It will pick up on all the failures in the past and present and will do all it can to reinforce the though that the person is useless. It will look for all the negatives in what the dieter does, and will enhance and magnify every error and distort and generalise those errors so the dieter is absolutely convinced they were right to start with.
If you think of someone who is "lucky", because they think they are lucky the prover will go and prove that. Therefore they will concentrate on the one scratchcard they won on, or the one time they won £20 on a football result. Therefore, they are focussing on the good stuff and are feeling the feelings of success.
If you think you are generally "unlucky", the prover will go and prove that by showing that you have never won the national lottery jackpot, and that it will remember everytime you didn't win! Therefore focussing on the negative stuff and you then will feel those feelings.
Most people who have dieted long term perceive themselves to be out of control with their eating, or a failure, or unable to actually be slim. Therefore, if you think that, then you are likely to do all you can to prove it!
I thought I was totally useless at dieting before I finally decided that I could actually be good at it! When I changed my mind and my thoughts to actually think I could be slim, then my mind went and proved I could be slim by focussing on all the positives and all the good stuff I was achieving.
The last time I dieted when I reduced all my excess weight I loved it! I enjoyed the diet the whole way through, I was proving myself right the whole way by focussing on smaller clothes, compliments, looks, and how I felt. For the first time I was proving I was a success and not a total failure.
The internal feelings and thoughts you have about yourself will be actualised in the results you see. If you think you'll fail then you will! If you think you'll succeed then you will!
If you want to prove this, then today, have the though that there are more red cars on the roads than any other colour of car. Technically, it is actually true! But, more than that, now you know it is true you will suddenly find you notice it more as your prover kicks in to prove that you were right! I guarantee if you remember it when you are in the car going shopping today you will see red cars coming from all angles!!
So, how do you change a thought that is holding you back, you may ask?
Write down a belief about yourself that is not helping you. For example, "I am rubbish at eating healthy food."
Look for evidence that the belief is actually wrong. Blow the belief out of your head and replace it with one that you are actually very good at eating healthy food. Go and prove to yourself that you can be.
I always said that I was a big guy forever and I spent 20 years proving that. The day I decided to think I was slim was the day I started proving it.
Have a magical Christmas
Mike :-)
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