the power of positive thinking...

"whether you think you can or think you can't - you're right."

i've long been aware of the benefits of positive thinking. truly believing in yourself, having confidence, and keeping a good attitude are crucial. no one was ever pushed into succeeding at anything - you have to want it for yourself, and you have to believe you can attain it.

it sounds cheesy, but one of my goals through the weightloss program i'm working on is to give myself a 5 minute pep-talk every day. (stop laughing. i warned you it was cheesy.) and you know what? i think it works.

it's not always 5 consecutive minutes, and it's not like i stand in front of a mirror and flex my muscles and grunt things like "hoo-ah" or sing "i'm just a love machine" while making my "pecs" dance (10 points to the person that gets that reference!) i just consciously congratulate myself multiple times throughout the day. i think about how impressed i am with myself... whether it's about the fact that i'm building will power and able to resist temptations that would've brought me to my knees two years ago, or because i've had 14 glasses of water today, or that i've lost a whole quarter of my entire goal weightloss - it doesn't matter. if it's a step in the right direction, it's worth acknowledging and even bragging about.

and it totally pays off. when i get excited about my plain ol' drip coffee with non-fat milk and equal, just because i know i'm saving myself about 200 calories, i know the positive thinking is paying off. when i look in the mirror and notice that my face is clearly showing the weightloss and that my jaw isn't quite as "square" as it used to be, i know the positive thinking is paying off. when i want to look in windows as i walk by, not to see what's behind the window, but to check myself out - i know the positive thinking is paying off.

sure, it sounds a little vain - but you know what? maybe a little vanity is what i needed all this time. maybe a little vanity is what keeps us caring about how we look and feel and act and take care of ourselves.