Weight Loss and Life Occur in the Present

Weight Loss and Life Occur in the Present

Someone, I am not quite sure of the author, once said, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift - that is why we call it the present.” Anyone who has ever lost weight has been faced with that moment where he or she was forced to make a decision, to move through an obstacle, to conquer a fear.

I met a man today. The man was about my height but he weighed perhaps close to 400 pounds. After we engaged in small talk for several moments, I asked him whether we was ready to change his life and his weight. He wasn’t. Maybe I wasn’t the one to deliver the message to this man, perhaps mine was not even the correct message for him. Perhaps the time was not perfect for him.

How much of your life is lost either dwelling on the past or worrying about the future? When your thoughts are imprisoned by the past or fearful of the future you miss out on one of life’s greatest gifts: that which is happening today and indeed this very moment.

When your mind (and therefore your energy) is focused on yesterday or tomorrow, your involvement in the present moment is impoverished and today passes you by as a squandered opportunity or an unnoticed stranger.

How often have you felt yourself being pulled back by yesterday? “I’ll never be able to lose weight. I’ve always struggled with my weight. I want to change but I’m scared to move on,” I have said all of these things to myself. Perhaps you have said those same things to yourself. Perhaps the man I spoke with today said those very things to himself. Perhaps not.

The reality is that when you are hoping and praying your weight will change by grasping onto what was or what may be some day - your ability to move forward will be confined by your inability to make the most of today. Throw off the shackles of fear, indecisiveness, uncertainty and free yourself for the life that awaits you.

The key is putting your effort into today. Putting your effort into the present moment. By doing so, you will reap the rewards of seeing the world in a fundamentally new and fresh way. Awareness of the present will provide you with a feeling of control of your life.

You must feel that you have some degree of control over your life before you can really deal with your weight.We all enjoy reminiscing about the past and planning for the future, but after you’ve done so, let these things go. Today is what really matters, irrespective of how imperfect it might seem. It is your attitude, your intention, your focus towards today that counts.

You may have control over very little today but one thing is for certain - you can choose pay close attention to the present. For example, the next time a stranger approaches you and strikes up a conversation quell the storm by reining in your mind and your actions to that moment, the present. Find your way back to the perfect present and the world will open up to you with all of today’s wonderful opportunities.

Oh, by the way, yesterday, I met another man while standing in line. He was morbidly obese. We made small talk, I asked him the question, “Is today the day you change your life and your weight?” He said, “Yes.”

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