Presence Of Mind - Success Made Simple!

by Kris Pitcher

I recently had the opportunity to hear a presentation by a scholar who said, "We may not be able to choose how we feel, but we can choose how we act."

His statement sent me diving into my giant purse for my tiny notebook where I jot down big ideas. While he was speaking about a very different topic, his statement is something I think about a lot and is quite relevant to success with weight management.

Weight management is only slightly about food. Barely. If it were, it would be easy. We'd just do the math, and eat the right nutrients at the right time of day, in the right quantities and we'd all be height-weight proportionate. Done.

Our struggles with weight are rarely about food. They are about our feelings. Moreover, about our choices in actions regarding our feelings. So his statement is something I believe very strongly in. We may not be able to choose how we feel but we can choose how we act. Let's look at that.

Feelings are individual, associated with memories, and emotions. Powerful and undeniable, we have a right to our feelings. There's no changing that. It's helpful if we can recognize them prior to acting on them. This is true for any situation, not just around our food choices.

The reality is we can recognize our feelings. We can assess their appropriateness in a situation. In many cases, we can take a deep breath and gain perspective around our feelings. This is our opportunity to look at our options. It's our time to consider our choices, before we act.

We can recognize our feelings, look at our options, and choose an action congruent with our goals. This is where our success is built. It's built in choosing how we act, how we eat - in emotional situations.

When we break it down in this way, it kind of is simple. We just have to give ourselves the presence of mind to make choices. Be present for yourself. The success is yours!