Identity Shifts That Make Weight Loss a Side Effect

How would you describe yourself? How would you describe your identity if someone was to ask you? Did you know that identity shifts can make weight loss a side effect?

If you're ready to look at how you can change your identity and have the results that you want, let's dive in.

The Power of Belief in Yourself

There's a fascinating story about a young man who wasn't doing well at school. He wrote his SAT and received a score of 1,480 out of 1600, which is an extremely high score. This completely shocked him and he realized, "Oh my goodness, I am way smarter than I thought!" Even his mother was like, "Are you sure this was your score?"

This score changed everything for him. He went to a really good college and became one of the top entrepreneurs featured in a major magazine.

Here's the twist: 12 years later, he received a letter in the mail informing him that he was one of 13 people who had been sent the wrong SAT score by mistake. His real score was 740 - exactly half of what he thought it was.

I'm curious for you - what do you believe about yourself and your capabilities?

When Someone Believes You Can Do It

I remember when I was 18 years old, in my first year of university. At our church Christmas dinner, they asked for volunteers. Having grown up with five siblings, I was used to making lots of dinners, so I volunteered. One of the ladies in charge just said, "Oh, Dara, you're gonna do the mashed potatoes for 200 people."

So I just peeled potatoes for 200 people and made mashed potatoes for 200 people, even though I'd never done it before.

Think about in your life - what are some of those experiences where someone was just like, "Hey, go and do that thing"? Maybe having your first baby (here's your baby, go for it!) or your first day on a new job.

Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset

Dr. Carol Dweck from Stanford University talks about this beautifully. We can have a fixed mindset, which says things like:

• "I'm not smart enough"
• "Look at my family, we're not those kind of people"
• "Look at the small country I come from"
• "My high school wasn't fancy"

Or we can have a growth mindset: "I can figure it out."

When you have the growth mindset, you think things like:

• "I am capable of getting better"
• "I can do hard things"
• "I can learn from my mistakes"

As Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right."

Your Personality Isn't Permanent

Here's something exciting: we are always creating our identity.

It had to start somewhere. You weren't born with a little tag that said, "This girl quilts and this girl does this." There wasn't a prescription that said, "This is who I'm gonna be."

Yes, we have different propensities - I have five children and they were all different as babies. One was an old soul, one was very playful, one was adventurous and didn't think of consequences. But our personality is not set, and it's not something we need to look for outside of us.

The Story That Changed Everything

There's a powerful story about a man who started smoking in high school, and it got out of hand in university. He ended up smoking a pack a day and hated it. He tried quitting multiple times because he wanted to play the trumpet, and he knew smoking was terrible for that.

When he got to his new job in a new state, he went into the staff room. A staff member offered him a cigarette, and he said, "Nope, never smoke, never will. I'm not a smoker."

He looked at himself and thought, "I guess I'm not a smoker." That became his identity. He created that.

The Challenge I Want to Give You

I want to challenge you to ask yourself:

• Why do I weigh what I weigh?
• Why do I have as much fabric as I have?
• Why do I watch as much TV as I do?
• What is it about me that's so fixed on over-consuming?

When you do that deep dive, I want you to book a call with me and say, "Dara, this is why I'm this way."

Why Brain Tools Work

When I got a life coach in the summer of 2018, she told me she had a way to solve any problem. I was like, "That is a bunch of baloney. I do not believe it." We had just moved, I didn't love where we moved, our house was so small. I was sharing my studio with my daughter in our garage that we put some flooring in.

But every time she coached with me, she was able to solve the problem. It was so interesting to me that just by using some tools for my brain, I could have resolution.

Think about it - I'm making sushi tonight and I have sushi tools, so I can make sushi. When I make a quilt, I have quilting tools and I can make a quilt. Why would I be so surprised that if I have mind tools, I can change my mind and my life and the trajectory of my life?

You Can Do It Too

We can either be like the man who moved back to his small town and let everyone treat him the same way they always had, or we could be like the young man who got the wrong score but believed he could do it.

I want to tell you right now: you can do it.

If I can show you that I can lose 50 pounds without counting calories, without tracking steps, while raising five kids all through a pandemic, building an incredible business, kids going off to school and missions - if I can solve any problem and figure it all out, you can too. When you have the right tools, you can do it.

Take Action

I love that you're reading this, but what's really gonna move the dial and make the difference in your life is taking action. You're almost there.

Let me help you. I can't wait to see you.

Ready to explore how identity shifts can transform your life? Book a call with me and let's talk about where you want to go and how to get there.

Let's chat soon, book your call here.

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