Well I’ve got some bad news and I’ve got some good news. The good news is that people can change their lives in incredible ways.

Helen Keller was struck deaf and blind as a toddler in the latter 19th century, a time in which a person with those handicaps would live out their lives in an institution, labeled as feeble minded, because no one had figured out how to communicate with them. But she didn’t end up like that. Instead she learned to read and write and communicate. A truly remarkable achievement. Now I know what you’re thinking- Helen Keller didn’t have a weight problem. Lucky stiff, if I was born deaf and blind I’d do great stuff too. Bob Dole, whatever you think about his politics, here’s a guy who was injured in war, lost the use of an arm. No one would have thought that he would go on to become a senator, a candidate for president of the United States, and a spokesman for Viagra.

Now that’s remarkable.

Those people were remarkable because they did was unusual, special, heroic.

So let me give you an example of an ordinary guy, born in NYC in 1934, also handicapped in his left arm, but never letting it make him be treated differently than the other kids, never becoming a senator. Just a regular guy who got married, raised a family, had some grand kids. Nothing extraordinary really, but very significant to me. Because that man is my father. Ordinary, average Joe and my hero.

And I bet you know at least one ordinary person who’s an ordinary hero, a regular person who has overcome something, persevered through hardship, become a parent or a teacher, and made a difference in your life.  Someone who inspires you- because even ordinary people can do great things.

A person I worked with named Eric lost 210 pounds, about what I weigh. He lost the equivalent of an 6’ 2” adult male. This is especially amazing because he’s only about 5’7”. Eric’s a normal, average guy from Kansas, truly the average Joe, no different from you or me.

Not different from a lot of people who feel stuck in a rut. Stuck in their bodies, stuck in an unfulfilling job, stuck in their lives. With one big exception, he took that first step. He took action- because without action nothing can happen.

Everything you see around you only exists because someone took action. The computer you use would not exist except for some very nerdy guys who started a computer revolution in a garage 30 years ago.

So what does taking action mean to you?  It means simply deciding a change is need, having a framework to change it, and taking that first step.

Eric took the first step and kept going. He made some discoveries, and he also made some big mistake. But he didn’t beat himself up for it and moved on, kept going. Which is great because it was his mistakes which taught him more about what he needed to do to succeed. And that process is what leads one to making the big changes in weight, in health, in self acceptance.

I say self acceptance because one of the things that that is of ultimate importance in making lasting changes is dealing with the mental and emotional components of becoming healthy. Because until you lose your emotional weight you won’t allow yourself to lose the physical weight, or to reach any goal that you are stuck on.

It comes down to how you think, and you if you think of it, nothing really can change for anyone until they change their thinking. That’s what I’m doing here- planting a seed, a possibility, a knowledge, that change can happen  and only can happen when you decide to make it happen  and act on that decision. And like any seed it’s up to you to nurture it, and water it, and help it grow from a desire to a possibility, from a possibility to a belief, and finally from a belief to a rock solid conviction.

Now as a Mind Trainer I’m going to tell you something that is the one of the keynotes of motivational psychology.

Most people think that the beliefs they have are a reflection of the life they have led, and what it has taught them – and you may think that – but in actuality, the life you are living is a reflection of the beliefs you have had.

And, can you imagine this? Your beliefs began with a seed, a suggestion, a thought, that was planted a long time ago – and some of those seeds have born bitter fruit, real bitter fruit. So, it’s time to sow some new seeds and let go of some negative thoughts and replace them with better ones.

I’ll tell you something about yourself- you’ve already realized that you have got to change something- that’s why you are still reading this. The only question you might want to ask yourself on a deep level is, are you ready to take the next step? Are you ready to  take action to  make it happen?

Now here’s the bad news – to change is not a passive, sit back, “ok rearrange my head and health” kind of thing, no.

It takes work.

It takes the decision to act.

It takes structure.

And it takes action.

And I don’t know how you’ll absolutely  convince yourself to continue, I just know you’ve already begun.

And that’s the good news- unconsciously you’ve decided to act. That much you may already be aware of. Now it’s simply a matter of following through, getting the right tools, the correct information, and the essential support to make the changes you want more quickly and easily than you ever imagined it.

So plant some positive seeds. Because that’s my reason for writing this article. It’s the same strategy I use when working with a client. Not to say here’s the fully grown plant, the ultimate answer, take it home don’t do anything else, don’t nurture it and watch it wither. But instead to help you plant some seeds that you can nurture and grow in your own unique way.

Helen Keller took a step.

Bob Dole took a step,
Eric took a step,
Are you ready to too?

Just step.