Step 2: Act

Most people, when they hear the word Act, think that you must start taking massive action. You have got to Act! You have to do things you’ve never done before. You have to add something here or remove something there. That is absolutely not what the word Act means in this process.

Making extreme changes in your diet or exercise routine is often a recipe for disaster, not a recipe for weight loss success.

The only changes that should be taking place now are your changes in thinking. You should focus on what you want. You should repeat your Statements of Fact often. You should use your Statements to battle any negative thoughts that attempt to wrestle away your control.

Focus on the new you.

Nevertheless, your change in thinking is setting a new course. You are heading in a new direction and you will have a strong urge to reveal the change. So how do you reveal the change without making drastic changes in diet and exercise?

Do What You Have Always Done…

I had always considered myself a Master Procrastinator. In my mind, a Master Procrastinator was someone, the someone was me, who would procrastinate all the time, but had the amazing ability to know exactly when to start working on a task in order to get it completed on time.

I would procrastinate with everything. I would procrastinate with housework:  Doing the dishes, doing laundry, cleaning toilets. I would procrastinate with maintenance tasks:  Home repairs, getting the vehicles serviced, yard work. I would procrastinate at work:  Day-to-day tasks, large and small projects, creating deliverables. I would procrastinate with everything.

I didn’t know it at the time, but being a Master Procrastinator turned out to be a Master Pain. And it was something that led directly to my weight and health problems.

The Self-Fulfilling Cycle of Doom

Being a Master Procrastinator kept me in a constant state of frustration and anxiety. That frustration and anxiety led to poor eating habits, poor sleeping habits, and feelings of fear and doubt. It made life miserable and my weight and health reflected this misery.

• I’ve procrastinated and I need to work late.
• Since I’m working late I’ll buy a pizza.
• I’m not done with my work. I’m glad I have leftover pizza.
• Still not done. Getting tired. I had better get some Coke.
• It’s really late. One more snack and then I’ll finish this up.
• Still not done, but I have to sleep. I’ll get up early.
• 4 hours later, I’m up! I need some liquid carbs and caffeine!
• A quick shower and I’m off to work (after I pick up a fast food breakfast).
• I’m Done! I finished the report and delivered it on time.
• I’m a fucking GENIUS!

This is an extreme example, but situations like this happened more than I want to admit. Similar situations would occur around the house. I would neglect something for way too long and would end up spending most of a weekend’s hours cleaning up the yard, working in the house, or fixing something that was broken. I’d say, “I’ve got a lot of work to do so, let’s get some takeout! And lots of beer!”

I had fallen into a Self-Fulfilling Cycle of Doom.

I wasn’t in control of my life. My results, situations, and circumstances were in control. I was trapped in reactionary thinking mode.

Does any of this sound familiar? Are you in a Self-Fulfilling Cycle of Doom?

… Better than You have Ever Done It.

Until I started thinking, I didn’t realize that my Cycle of Doom was so powerful and destructive. I didn’t even realize that I was in a Cycle of Doom. I was a Master Procrastinator after all.

This is why you don’t make massive changes to your life when you first start down the path to the new you. Focus on what you want while observing your day-to-day life.

• What challenges do you face?
• What obstacles do you run into?
• Are there triggers that invite your negative thoughts?
• Do you recognize any patterns?

At this point, you know what you want and you are changing your life. Now is the perfect time to analyze your day-to-day habits and routines and identify opportunities where you can take effective action.

Effective action is doing what you have always done better than you have ever done it.

Procrastination was killing me. Pulling all-nighters and all-weekenders, because I had procrastinated, delayed chores, or neglected my responsibilities. This took the same amount of time as working on the report for two hours a day, every day, during the two weeks I had to complete the reports, doing the chores when they needed to be done, and staying on top of my responsibilities in a timely manner. By procrastinating, I sacrificed sleep, and my health, for laziness and leisure time. This had a great cost.

As you look closer at your life, you will realize that you do the same things, in the same ways, over and over again. You have routines. You have habits. They may have absolutely nothing to do with procrastination, but there will be routines and habits.

Individual habits and routines are neither good nor bad. If you continue to do what you are doing, you will continue to get what you always get.

Only when you decide that you want something. That you want to achieve something. That you want to lose weight, get fit, and get healthy. Only after you know that you want to change your life can you evaluate your existing habits and routines. They can be judged. They can be compared to what you want.

You can and should evaluate everything in your life. Does this habit, this routine, get you closer to what you want? Is it taking you away from what you want? Can you change this habit, this routine, so it will take you to what you want?

Can you take effective action? Can you do what you have always done, better than you have ever done it?

Success breeds Success

How does doing the dishes help you lose weight?

Once you decide it is time to make a change in your life. Once you know what you want. After you have evaluated your routines and habits, the best way to achieve your wants is to start taking effective action. Start doing what you have always done, better than you have ever done it. Living your day-to-day life in this way sets you down the path to success.

If every action you take is an effective action, every day will be a successful day.

If every day is a successful day, your success will breed more success, and your weight, fitness and health goals will be achieved.

The Self-Reinforcing Cycle of Success

I eventually realized that my habit of procrastination was at the root of my weight problems. Constantly having unfinished work hanging over my head led to anxiety, frustration, weight gain, and poor health.

I wasn’t in control of my life. My results, situations, and circumstances were in control. I was trapped in reactionary thinking mode.

As I took effective action, my life became less stressful. As I reduced my stress, I experienced more success. As I experienced more success, I took more effective action. As I took more effective action, I became more efficient. As I became more efficient, I became more successful.

I had created a Self-Fulfilling Cycle of Success. I was finally in control of my life.

As you take effective action, your life will become less stressful. As you reduce stress, you will experience more success. As you experience more success, you will take more effective action. As you take more effective action, you will become more efficient. As you became more efficient, you became more successful.

As you experience more and more success, you will start to recognize opportunities for growth, opportunities for advancement. Only when your life is efficient and full of effective action will you be able to add the habits and routines that will help you get what you want.

Habits for Weight Loss

When you start thinking of yourself as someone who is thin, fit, and healthy, you will become thin, fit, and healthy.

It will not happen overnight. It will take time. It will take mental and physical effort. But it all starts with thinking and taking effective action.

• Use your imagination to find out what you really want to achieve concerning your weight, fitness, and health.
• Create Statements of Fact that define your wants.
• Repeat your Statements of Fact over and over again. Focus on them constantly, continuously.
• When a negative thought enters your mind, squash it immediately by reciting your Statements of Fact.
• Observe your day-to-day life and identify Cycles of Doom.
• Evaluate your existing habits and routines. Are they taking you toward or away from what you want?
• Take effective action within your day-to-day life to create a Self-Sustaining Cycle of Success.

Think and imagine the new you. Imagine all of the things that you can and will do. Imagine what you can and will become. Take effective action in your day-to-day life. Experience success and build upon it.

This is the second step of the Recipe for Weight Loss Success.