Week12 - Beliefs

I'm posting now for Monday 9/5 because I will be in FL next week to move out of our condo. As you may know one of my goals for the 52 week challenge was to sell the condo (and to buy a home but that piece has not happened yet). My husband will stay home with the pets and I will go back to Florida for the move and closing. My Mom and Dad will be there with me and I will get to see my aunt and cousins as well. Saying goodbye will be hard even though this is exactly what we wanted. This is a good transition into this weeks challenge.

The Challenge:
Sometimes we need to say goodbye to old belief systems. Like everything else beliefs can become old and outdated. A belief that is out of alignment with your goal will increase the likelihood of failure; and unfortunately sometimes we are not even aware of them. Your challenge for this week is to examine your beliefs and come up with a few new ones. This can take a little detective work because you need to start to notice your actions and that includes how you communicate.

Here's an example: Let's say you have a goal to get physically fit and one of your action items is to replace processed foods with whole foods. You are off to a great start because you have good goal wording and a good action item. A few months have gone by and you are not getting the results you hoped for. You can say to yourself "see this positive thinking stuff doesn't work" (which on it's own is a negative belief) and give up, or you can take some time to examine your beliefs. Did you learn as a child that you shouldn't leave food on your plate? If you believe you shouldn't waste food then you may be over consuming. Can you create a new belief like "I eat slowly so I can notice when I am satisfied".

Here's another example: Do you believe you don't deserve a bountiful life? Do you feel even asking for such a thing is greedy, selfish, or not necessary? Regardless of your age or station in life you deserve what your heart cries out for. If you want more time with family and friends, or want to have more fun, or want more satisfying experiences in life please don't sell yourself short. Listen to your heart; not the old beliefs telling you "it's not time" or "that's selfish".

What I'm working on:
In the second example above I use the word "deserve". I use that word because I do believe in my heart that we all deserve to live the best life possible and that we are meant to experience love, joy, etc during our time on this earth. Yes there are plenty of hardships; so we had better enjoy the time we've got. Because of my passion for life I tend to be pretty busy and one way I reward myself is eating out at restaurants. I love the experience because it means I don't have to shop, cook or clean up; and also that I can sit and enjoy quality time with someone I love. But this belief of "deserving a break" can lead to weight gain if I'm not careful. I'm not going to change the belief that I deserve a break but I do need to monitor my use of this belief. More importantly I want to feel good (healthy) and that is more easily accomplished when I eat my meals at home. Luckily I have a husband that helps with everything from shopping to cooking (not really clean-up) and I cherish our time at home together.

I hope you have a fantastic week and the next post will be on Monday 9/13. Be well and enjoy!