As a wellness coach, I sometimes wonder, Are We all From Missouri? You know – the show me state?

I find that people need to see the benefits before they’ll believe in the practice. I hear from weight loss wanna bees - show me the weight loss and maybe I’ll stick with exercising. Show me that I can eat healthy and still feel satisfied and I’ll try the meal plan. I need to know that walking will lift my mood and then I’ll walk.

Folks – you have it backwards. Show me it will work for me and I’ll do it!?! How can you know it will work for you if you don’t try? Listen up! It’s in the practicing that you begin to believe in the practice and you can see the results. Once you experience the benefits of walking you believe in the practice and you begin to see yourself as an active person. Believing is seeing.

It’s human to be cautious and yet it’s this natural resistance to change or practicing a new behavior that stops you from believing in it. I often ask client’s to challenge their obstacles. For example, “I don’t have time to exercise.” Okay – how do you know you don’t have time? Have you tried to fit it in? Do you know that when you fit it in you won’t naturally make adjustments in other activities and find that, in fact, it all works out?

How about this one? I don’t like healthy food. Yes, I hear that overwhelmingly broad rejection. Okay, how do you know you don’t like healthy foods? How many have you tried? When was the last time you tried a new recipe? Do you know everything there is to know about healthy foods?

Want to see results?
Step One: Recognize your excuses as obstacles originating from your cautious lizard brain.
Step Two: Begin practicing even though it feels uncomfortable at first. Have an experimental attitude – it will sound something like this: Lizard Brain: “I don’t have time to exercise. Your response: “Well, let’s see, I’ll just try to fit in a walk after work and see how it works. If it doesn’t I’ll try something else.” “Can’t hurt to try!”
Step Three: Have faith. Let yourself believe in the practice and then be mindful of the results. See the benefits!

First, believe – have faith in the practice, and surely you’ll see the results you’ve been looking for!

Believing is Seeing!