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A "Secret Fear" That Keeps You Fat
NOTE: What is your "secret reason" for failing
when it comes to your health? Do you feel
like your problems losing weight are different
from others? Harder? You need to check out
the info below:
http://www.andreasanswer.com/ebook/?s=10099&e=1
Thought for the day...
"It's not arrogant for a flower to bloom."
I wish I came up with that, but I actually
heard it third hand. A friend of mine got it from
the teacher in her yoga class.
The teacher was saying that realizing your
full potential is something that embarrasses a lot
of people...
Think about that for a moment-- because not
only is it very true-- but is very, very messed
up!
Most people, especially women, feel like there
is something embarrassing about even ADMITTING to
their big dreams of what they want themselves to
be... or to look like.
It sounds selfish and shallow to want to walk
through the world as a beautiful person with a
beautiful body.
Somehow, in our society, there is this idea
that if you want to be the very best YOU that you
can be... that it is a little bit arrogant, like
you are showing off, like maybe you should be
ashamed about wanting to really blossom into
something beautiful and wonderful.
And society, your friends, maybe even your
family probably reinforce this negative idea.
Think about this for a minute... really think
about it...
How would your best friend feel if you suddenly
started getting really into working on your health
and body?
How would she feel if you really TRANSFORMED
into somebody who was as beautiful on the outside
as your inside already knows that you COULD BE?
Sure, your friend would be happy for you...
But also, unless your friend is a VERY special
and UNUSUAL person, probably there would be some
resentment that you have changed, that you have
improved, that you have blossomed and realized
your full potential.
It's not evil, it doesn't make her or him a
bad friend. It's just human nature.
But it's so unfair.
Nobody ever looks at a flower and thinks, 'wow
that plant is so arrogant! What a show off that
plant is!"
Why not?
Because for a flower, blooming is simply the
natural and right thing to do.
Flowers are supposed to bloom. It's "God's
plan." Nature doesn't want the flower to be
modest.
And, really, there is no lack of modesty in
the flower realizing its full potential and
opening up to the sunlight to show off all of its
dazzling color.
And it's exactly the same for you.
Look, I realize that this might sound like
some new-agey mumbo-jumbo.
It's not.
If you are totally honest with yourself, you
have to admit that part of the reason that you are
not enjoying fully blooming into the person that
you COULD BE is that on some level you don't
believe that you DESERVE it.
You feel like suddenly losing weight, getting
into shape, taking care of your body, and becoming
beautiful would make you shallow or beauty
obsessed, or that people would say, "oh, look at
her, all she ever does is go to the gym."
You are afraid that you wouldn't know how to
live that life-- that it might be hard being
beautiful and not having the excuse of being
heavy any more.
Maybe you are afraid of being judged unworthy of
being beautiful.
Maybe even judged by your self.
And that is horse-shit.
The truth is, God, or nature, or evolution, or
whatever you believe made the rules of the
universe... WANTS you to bloom.
Like the flower, that's what you are supposed
to do.
It is not arrogant to bloom.
I'm going to tell you an important, life-
changing secret:
If you could learn to actually believe this one
little thing about yourself, it would DRAMATICALLY
change the quality of your life and it would make
it dramatically easier for you to achieve your
fitness goals.
Don't believe me?
I'll prove it to you.
And I'll give you some tips on how you can
begin to reprogram your brain to believe that you
DESERVE to bloom.
If you follow these tips, you will see real
changes in your life, in your ability to stick
with a health plan, and in your body.
Let me start by telling a story that makes
real-world sense of what I'm talking about.
A friend of mine-- let's call her Dee-- was
one of those girls who didn't put on weight until
she was in the later years of high school-- and
she didn't start to get really heavy until she
went to college.
She was never really what you'd call "fat",
but she constantly battled the big-butt-and-
thigh syndrome and she could never really get
ahead of it.
She probably had about 35 pounds to lose, and
she'd lose 15 or 20 and then put it back on again
over and over.
Pretty familiar story?
Anyway, Dee was really popular back in Junior
High, and when she started putting on weight, she
didn't enjoy the same social status that she had
before.
She wasn't a cheerleader, she wasn't the center
of attention... anyway, you get the idea.
She was unhappy that she wasn't as popular as
she used to be, and she blamed her weight.
Look, you know the world we live in... I'm sure
that PART of that was true. But also the reverse
is ALWAYS true...
When you are unhappy about something (like not
being as popular as you used to be), it will
affect the way you eat, the way you exercise,
your energy level... and EVERYTHING spirals down
from there.
And not liking your body has VERY SERIOUS
consequences to your self-image. And that has a
DIRECT impact on the way other people view you.
The point is, it's complex and it's ALL
related.
Could Dee have lost the weight and gotten back
into shape and become the popular girl again in
college?
I mean, we're only talking about 35 pounds
here, and she had many times managed to lose 20...
What kept her from making it "all the way?"
And what kept her from KEEPING the goals that
she achieved?
Hmmm...
Well, maybe this will shed some light on the
subject:
About 5 years after college, I was away
from home for Thanksgiving, and Dee invited me to
join her family for dinner.
We hadn't seen each other in a while, but I
was not at all surprised to see that she was in
exactly the same place - About 35 pounds
overweight, unhappy, and complaining about it.
Anyway, we had a nice time and it was good to
see her family because I had known them since
I was a little girl.
Dee's older brother (who I used to have a
secret crush on-- he was SO cute) was a partner
in a law-firm and very successful, and he had
recently gotten engaged...
So, of course his fiancee was there too...
She was a beautiful, intelligent, and witty
woman who he had met at his tennis club. I liked
her instantly.
Dee was still single, and she brought another
friend of hers from college along with her who was,
like Dee, struggling with a few extra pounds.
At one point in the evening, after dinner,
when we were all just hanging around and laughing
and talking, I was helping Dee's mom, and I
overheard a very interesting piece of conversation
behind me...
Dee and her friend were talking to her
brother's fiancee, and Dee said this:
"You know, you've got this great job, you're
marrying a great guy, and you've got that perfect,
cute little body... if you weren't so sweet, we'd
really have to hate you!"
And she laughed.
But I think that any girl can translate what
she was REALLY saying-- "You're a skinny bitch.
We hate you."
This hit me kind of hard, because the more I
thought about it, the more I KNEW that Dee and
her new friend were probably saying a lot of
similar things about me.
But the truth is, they were saying less about
her brother's fiancee or me than they were saying
about themselves.
Somewhere along the line... and I believe it
was right in the beginning, in high school...
Dee had bought into the idea that it is arrogant
to bloom.
She hated her brother's fiancee because she
had the courage to do exactly what nature wanted
her to do-- be her BEST SELF... to take care of
her body, to have a great career, to find love.
And it's sadly clear to me that because Dee
believed it was arrogant to bloom... because in
her heart she did not honestly believe that she
DESERVED to be a beautiful flower... that she never
succeeded in losing weight.
And that belief affected every other part of
her life.
Every time she started to lose weight she
became demoralized because it's "hard work" to lose
weight, and she did not have the mental and
SPIRITUAL belief in what she was doing-- she did
not believe that it was RIGHT for her to succeed.
And so, of course, she continued to fail.
So I'd like you to ask yourself-- do YOU think
that it's arrogant to bloom?
Is it shallow or selfish to want to be
beautiful, or want to achieve the very best body,
the very best health, the very best of everything
you can be?
When I lay it out like that, I know that in
your heart you probably have some uneasy feelings
that maybe it IS a bit selfish to want to be
beautiful.
It is NOT.
If you believe in God, do you think that you
were created and given a spirit so that you could
live a life of mediocrity?
If you believe in evolution, do you think that
millions of years of trial, error, survival, and
reproduction were all so that you could just "get
by"... or rather so that you could prosper and be
the most successful and best human animal that you
could be?
If you believe in karma or mother nature or
ANYTHING else, if you have anything in your life
that lets you zoom out and see the big picture of
life-- then you must see that it is your DESTINY
to be the BEST YOU that you can be.
It is what the world needs from you. If you
don't do it, no one else will do it for you.
Let me say that again...
NO ONE ELSE WILL DO IT FOR YOU.
Take a moment to think about how many people
are alive today. The human population is over 6
billion now, right?
That's a lot of people.
Now try to think of the number of people who
have lived over the course of time... it's too
big of a number to even wrap your brain around.
Now think about this...
There has never been a person that is exactly
like you. You are a unique individual with a
unique story.
I believe that our unique voice is not just a
gift, but it is also our OBLIGATION to make sure
it is heard.
If you don't realize your potential, if YOU
don't grow to your fullest, there will never be
another opportunity, and it will be lost forever.
Your life is ready and waiting to bloom. Give
yourself permission to reach for the sunlight.
Here's my guarantee to you:
If you could talk yourself into this one idea,
if you could honestly believe in the depths of
your heart that it is not arrogant to bloom, that
it is not AT ALL selfish to want health, beauty,
success...
...If you honestly believed that it would be
a VIRTUE to bloom, like the flower, giving your
gifts to the world...
...If you could change that one idea in your
head, it would be MUCH easier to achieve and
keep ALL your goals in life. Especially your
health, fitness and weight goals.
In fact, it would so much easier, that from
where you are now, you can't even imagine it.
But how do you change your thinking?
How do you undo the years of habits and stop
the same tape from playing over and over in your
head?
I'm going to give you a very powerful way
to do exactly that right now.
Okay, you ready?
This is going to come as a surprise to you,
but you already have the habit you will need to
change your thinking and believe in your heart
that you deserve to beautiful, fit, healthy, and
happy.
That's right. You are ALREADY doing it...
probably every day... maybe even several times a
day.
We just need to slightly redirect it so that it
SERVES you instead of HURTING you.
It's your "I deserve it" voice.
You know that voice inside of your head that
screams out whenever you try to enforce discipline
on yourself? That voice that says, "I deserve a
piece of chocolate cake, I've had a rough day."
Or the voice that says, "I deserve to just sit
and watch 4 hours of TV tonight because I worked
really hard today."
See, you are already convincing yourself of
your worth. And that's good.
You DESERVE to have a chocolate rush and you
DESERVE to relax and be lazy.
So now we are going to hijack that same set of
thinking, but we are going to start thinking a
WHOLE LOT BIGGER about what you deserve.
Rather than thinking you deserve to have a
sugar rush and be lazy, start telling yourself
that you deserve something better. Something
important.
The next time you have this little
conversation in your head-- and it will happen
in the next hour or two-- when you are debating
whether or not to indulge in a simple desire, I
want you to remember this newsletter.
Just like every time you hear a certain song
it can remind you of some night or some special
time when you heard it first... I want you to
link this newsletter in your brain to deciding
whether or not eat a piece of cake.
Any time your mind says, "But I deserve to..."
Whammo!
You'll think of this Newsletter.
And you'll remember: It's not arrogant to
bloom. You'll remember that you deserve MORE.
Every time you make that mental link, it will
cement it deeper into your head, so that, 10 years
from now, you will still be reflexively thinking
about it:
"But I worked hard today, I DESERVE..."
bam!
"IT'S NOT ARROGANT TO BLOOM"
"My friend always gets to eat the french
fries, this once I deserve..."
bam!
"It's not arrogant to bloom"
And then you will think BIG.
I DESERVE to live an extraordianry life in a
gorgeous and healthy body. I DESERVE IT.
Now here's the thing... I don't want you to
deny yourself the cake if you still want it.
I just want you to smile and fill yourself up
with JUST HOW MUCH YOU ACTUALLY DESERVE.
You deserve WAY MORE than chocolate cake or
french fries.
And when you really start to "get it", when
you really start to believe that message,
then the chocolate cake and french fries will
just not seem like something that will satisfy
you.
It will be too small a consolation to settle
for.
You deserve the bigger things in life like
beauty, health, energy, and love.
So if you've had a hard day and you decide you
need a little something to reward yourself, think
about what you REALLY deserve.
Maybe you deserve a deep and delicious yoga
class.
Maybe you deserve to take the time and energy
to actually cook yourself something healthy...
something that is one of your favorites and
leaves you feeling great.
Do you deserve to rock out with your favorite
new music at the gym?
Or do you deserve to go out with some friends
and dance all night?
Sometimes you deserve 15 minutes of meditation,
or maybe you've earned the right to read something
that will improve your life.
You definitely deserve to take a class or join
a tennis club or volleyball team, or take a long
swim.
You deserve to spend an hour in the bathroom
doing your hair and makeup.
You deserve a hot bath.
But here's the big one:
You DESERVE THE BODY you will have if you
don't eat that chocolate cake.
The problem is that the chocolate cake is
something you can have NOW, and the body takes
TIME.
But these other things will hold the place
very nicely and they will lead you to the life
that you REALLY deserve.
And if you've been thinking this way for a
while, maybe you even deserve to eat the cake
because you've already been to the gym, eaten
healthy for the last 10 meals, and already have
some great new hobbies and the body you've
always wanted.
The bottom line is this:
When you see that cake and think, "I deserve..."
STOP!
Think about this newsletter.
Think about HOW MUCH YOU REALLY DESERVE.
And make the decision that it would not be
arrogant to want become something better.
Then smile. Be happy about that.
Something interesting will happen when you
do this consistently. You will really enjoy
NOT having the cake.
I mean, you won't feel like you are denying
yourself the cake. You'll feel like you are
GIVING yourself the health.
And that's a great feeling. You will ENJOY it.
Again, if you DO decide to have the cake, have
it without guilt. You deserve so much more, so
it's no big deal.
I promise that if you start thinking this way
you will RARELY decide to have that cake.
And you'll be happy either way because you'll
know that you are on the way to achieving your
goals and becoming the person that you deserve
to be.
The simple fact is:
This is what worked for me.
I struggled with diet after diet. I STARTED
going to the gym more times than you can imagine.
But, like Dee, something always kept me from
following through.
It's EASY to start a diet or fitness program.
But that is not the way to succeed. Starting
is simply not the point. It is changing the way
you FEEL about yourself so that you can change the
way you LIVE that makes real change happen.
Once I got my self-esteem back, once I learned
to love myself, eating right became the natural
and enjoyable choice.
I know it sounds crazy, but keeping myself
fit and trim is not a struggle at all for me
anymore. It's like I am a completely different
person... a much happier and skinnier person!
You can do it too.
The only difference between where you are
and where I am is some knowledge and some skills.
In other words...
These are things you can LEARN.
Once you understand this new way of thinking
you will feel completely different about yourself
and the way that you eat.
I hope you take me up on every one of my
challenges in these newsletters.
I KNOW they work, because I am the proof...
and so are all of the friends of mine who have
succeeded by changing their lives with the
amazing secrets that I accidentally discovered
for completely changing my body into the one that
I've always dreamed of.
YOU CAN TOO.
Enjoy blooming.
And please feel free to tell me about how
this new way of thinking works for you. I'd love
to hear the feedback.
I'm really excited to hear some of the ways in
which you've bloomed and made your life beautiful.
Your Friend,
Love and Light,
Andrea
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