One of the most common themes among dieters is the phrase, “I know what to do, I just don’t do it.”
Over the past 100 days, I hope you’ve come a long way from that theme. But even with successful dieters, there’s another problem that often happens.
As time goes by, eventually they will confess, “I forgot what I know!”
You’ve probably recorded a lot of your favorite tools in your notebook. Now you need to go one step further and figure out how to make all of these concepts a permanent part of your life.
Start by selecting your favorite principles from the 100 Days Program. Then choose the top ten lessons that fit best for you—the ones you want to live by long-term.
Once you’ve chosen the guidelines you want to follow forever, you can use them as a foundation for your daily life. To make this easier, create a notebook page or a sign that proclaims, “This is how I live!”
Then list your top ten skills along with any other principles or values that you want to keep in your life long-term.
You might even revise your list once in a while, pulling in a few new concepts along with the old ones. Even though you won’t always follow these perfectly, at least you’ll remember your lifetime goals.
Ten or twenty years from now, you should be able to pull out this same list and affirm it’s still true by saying, “This is how I live!”
Today’s assignment (My answers are in blue)
1. Think about what will help you remember your favorite tools from the 100 Days Program.
I go back to my list over and over. Even though I wrote the book and I teach others how to work with this, I still have to remind myself about the tools that I’m determined to keep using in my daily life.
2. Make a “top ten list” that includes all of the concepts you plan to use forever. Write your top three here:
1. I don’t eat because it’s THERE.
2. Postpone eating… wait at least ten minutes when I have a food craving
3. Use the ten minute solution for exercise. It gets me started when I’ve slipped away from my routine.
3. Create a plan for how you will keep these ideas in front of you always!
I have a mental blueprint for my daily life. Even though I don’t follow it perfectly, it helps shape my activities and decisions throughout every day. And that’s what’s helped me stay focused and committed to managing my weight over the past many years.