There is nothing better than having someone verbally "pat you on the back." It doesn’t matter what the pat on the back is for…you just know that it makes you feel good, lifts you up and boosts your spirit. It would be great if we all had someone give us a verbal ‘pat on the back’ every day, unfortunately that’s not the case.
Some of you may go all day, week or even all month before someone gives you that verbal "pat on the back," which is unfortunate, because many of us need those little words of encouragement. Those simple words of a job well done, you are doing great, or I knew you could do it…not only makes you feel better on a mental level. It also triggers various endorphins and other chemical brain messengers that have a positive effect on our overall health and well being.
This is why it is important to get a pat on the back each and every day, even if you have to do it yourself. You may not have a personal coach or trainer or awesome spouse to verbally stroke you each day, which is why you need to get in the habit of doing it yourself. You don’t have to do a whole lot but simple positive affirmations and internal positive dialogue can go a long way. As far back as biblical times we learned that "a man is as a man thinketh." Those positive affirmations and thoughts that you feed yourself and feed off of will direct your attitude and outlook, which has a great bearing on your level of health, wealth and happiness.
First Thing in the Morning
Think about it when you wake up in the morning. What is the first thing you mentally tell yourself, what words do you begin to reinforce into your mind? Do you think about how tough the day is going to be? Do you start thinking about this meeting you have or the fact that you don’t want to go to work or school this morning? What words do you start filling your conscious mind with when you wake up? What words do you continue to reaffirm to yourself throughout the day? Have you ever taken a conscious look to examine what you feed your conscious mind?
Whatever words you fill your mind with are a result of what you have feed it in the past. It is a lot like health. If you eat a lot of unhealthy foods – you are probably not going to be the healthiest person. If you feed your conscious and subconscious mind with lots of doubt, worry, fear…lots of negativity. Your outlook and attitude will be shaped by those negative thoughts you feed your mind.
If you keep telling yourself you’re never going to be able to stop smoking, loss weight, get a raise, make more money or find a healthy relationship…you never will! You are literally creating your own self fulfilling prophesy. I don’t think Tiger Woods or LeBron James ever tell themselves that they aren’t going to win. So why do we want to tell ourselves that we can’t succeed in whatever arena we are talking about?
Habits are Habits
It’s all about habits and attitudes. To use health as an example we can all draw from, we all understand the concept that a healthier diet will often produce a healthier person. "You are what you eat, you are what you feed your body." The question is what thoughts are you feeding your conscious and subconscious mind? Are you verbally patting yourself on the back on a daily basis to improve or change your attitude and outlook?
To refer back to health again, a diary is a helpful tool to keep track and hold yourself accountable to how you feed your body. You can do the same thing with some journaling shortcuts I have used for my clients and patients to track and hold yourself accountable to how you feed your conscious and subconscious mind.
It’s called The STEPS Program, which in simple terms is a diary of journaling shortcuts, which allows you to track how well you are feeding your body, mind and spirit. And instead of writing a page of notes on how your day went, you simply shade-in the corresponding footstep to your action.
The STEPS are an acronym for;
Sleep…..Think..…Eat…..Physical…&…Spirit
Since we are talking about positive affirmations and thought, we are talking about thoughts and what we THINK. If you gave yourself positive affirmations, some good internal dialogue that day and reminded yourself of how great the day is going to be, how life is getting better, how thinner or healthier you are becoming. Whatever words of affirmation you gave yourself that day, if you did a good job at it shade-in the "T"
It takes less than two minutes, which is why the STEPS Program is a fantastic journaling shortcut. Use it as a simple way to track how well you are feeding your conscious and subconscious mind. It’s the easiest way to see how well you are feeding your mind on a regular basis. It is the best journaling shortcut I have ever seen. It’s quick, simple and very practical. Best of all - the physical act of shading-in those footsteps activates both your "visual" and "kinesthetic" learning centers.
There is no other journaling, accountability or person growth program that does that!
The name of the game is to make sure you are getting those verbal pats on the back on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter if you or someone else gives you a pat on the back, just remember those pats on the back will help create your attitude and outlook, which will have a direct impact on your life and circumstances. Just like eating healthy or unhealthy foods – you have to know if you are filling your mind with positive or negative thoughts. The goal is to make those positive thoughts automatic, this is what the "Five STEPS Program" can do for you. Give it a 30 day try and see if you don’t notice a difference. The one thing it will do is help you evaluate how well you are feeding your body, mind and spirit.
Dr. Len Lopez is a nutrition and fitness expert and author of “To Burn or Not to Burn – Fat is the Question” and "Five STEPS Closer...". He is the creator of the new fitness product called The Work Horse. He consults with clients to help them get the most out of their life and believes what we feed our body, mind and spirit has a direct bearing on our level of health, wealth and happiness. If you would like more information on how to get the most for your time, energy and money signup for Dr. Len's Blog at www.HealthTipsWithDrLen.com