Your Weight Loss Wake-Up Call

Dr. Matthew Anderson

“Few people think more than two or three times a year. I’ve made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.” -- George Bernard Shaw

I used this quote from George Bernard Shaw recently, and I want to use it again today and then add a twist of my own. George, please forgive me.

Here is my twist. I think it is just as true as the original statement. Few people wake up more than once or twice in their entire lives. You could transform your life if you woke up once a month.

The sad truth is that most of us neither think nor wake up very often. We live our lives like zombies, dully following the patterns and programs laid down for us by family and culture. Then, if we are lucky or blessed, something happens -- a catastrophe or an illness or a loss -- and momentarily we open our eyes and see what is really happening. At that moment, we have a choice. We can make a change and produce new results, experiences and directions, or we can give in to our fear and go back to sleep. Tragically, the fear usually wins.

There is good news, however. We do not have to wait for catastrophe or loss to open our eyes and pay attention to the direction of our lives. That opportunity presents itself each and every moment that we breathe. The choice is ours. The choice, my dear reader, is yours. You can decide right now, at this moment, to wake up and start a new year in a new way. You can make this year your wake up year. Here are some powerful techniques for making that happen.

HOW TO MAKE THIS YOUR WAKE UP YEAR

1. Start with a decision to wake up.
I know this sounds simple, but it works. All great personal change begins with a decision. You don’t have to know what to do next. Just decide that you really want to wake up.

2. Find someone who is ahead of you on the wake up path and do some of what they do.
This could be a friend, a counselor or a teacher. They have already begun the wake up process, and they will have useful ideas for you to explore. This may mean reading books, attending seminars or even going to a new kind of movie or place of worship. Take a risk and put yourself out there. You won’t be alone, and the payoffs are tremendous.

3. Assume that your excess weight is an indication of the amount of waking up you need.
If you are 20 percent overweight, you need a 20 percent wake up/change in all (yes, I said all) areas of your life. Your weight will always be a clear reminder that you can trust. No change usually equals no weight loss. Big wake up usually equals meaningful weight loss.

4. Eliminate your totally unconscious friends.
I don’t mean kill them, I mean get away from them. You know who they are. They constantly reinforce your old self-defeating habits, and they do not value waking up and taking charge of their lives. Let them go! They will only suck you back into darkness.

If you try to hold on to them, you will never wake up and make the necessary changes. Your waking up will threaten them, and they will do everything they can to get you to go back to sleep. I know this may sound tough. But, guess what? You need to be tough. Your life is at stake. For once, do what you have known you needed to do for years. Let them go!

I suggest that you finish this list with one of your own items. If you look into your own heart right now, it will tell you something specific you need to do in order to wake up. Take the time to listen and then act on it. Your new life awaits you.

Additional Resources:

Be your own friend – Living authentically

Weight Control Report

Weight control for life self-hypnosis series

The definition of change

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