Get Present

I suffered for years with poor health: both mental and physical.

• Unable to control cravings

• Unable to control emotions

• Unable to control appetite

Resorting to food as the reward for good.

Resorting to food as the punishment for bad.

Control

The word underlying all of the things I wanted to stop.

My belief was that I lacked self-control and was at a genetic disposition to eat more than my fair share.

Due to that, I would fall into that identity and overeat.

It was not until I was able to change my identity that the behaviors eventually fell into line.

Atomic Habits by James Clear touches on the three laws of behavioral change.

Without addressing the route of behavior (Identity), you will not be able to change the processes (Habits), and thus the outcomes of your behavior (Results).

Using myself as an example.

Identity: Someone who lacks self-control, enjoys video games for pleasure and hates vegetables.

The Habits from that identity:

• Overeating

• Staying up late

• No exercise regime

• Refusing to eat anything green

By identifying with someone who lacks self-control and does not like vegetables, those were the habits I was left with.

Leaving me with poor Results:

• Anxiety

• Overweight

• Little confidence

• Lacking openness to new experiences

I was confined to a shell of a life.

Due to the thoughts that directed the decisions I was making.

The life I was headed toward: suffering, poor health, and little connection with others.

To experience any drastic change, you must change the way you think about it.

The only way to change the way you think is to start habits that align with a new identity for yourself.

It is common sense but you won’t think of yourself as a fitness junkie if you're sitting on the couch all day.

One habit is a start towards changing your identity.

Multiple habits repeated over and over in succession and you can start to change your identity.

Through the power of your mind, you can start to conjure up what you hope to accomplish.

This is inspiration or motivation.

Nothing will happen without acting on the inspiration.

My health transformation is always evolving.

I still struggle with body dysmorphia and thinking about the way my body looks and how much I should be eating.

The process is ever-evolving as I learn to love every part of myself.

The key is to be present with whatever you are currently feeling.

All of the suffering can be accounted to thinking about the past and future.

• Focusing on what I did poorly

• Focusing on what I need to change

Accepting every part of your self is the only way you will ever feel whole.

Accepting right now as the best time to love yourself.

Recognizing, the future is purely thought.

Meditate on the fact that your problems are all past or future.

Sit with what you currently have and be grateful.

There is no problem in the present, only the problem you are thinking about in the past or future.

As the great stoic Seneca said, “We suffer more in imagination than in reality”

Give up the sense of control.

Live in the present moment.

Have a great weekend!

Reading Currently:

• Tribe by Sebasitan Junger

• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

• The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

Podcast I Recommend: Aubrey Marcus Podcast - The Freedom of Loving Your Imperfection w/ Peter Crone & Vylana