Angie’s Journey…

But I’m here to share it with y’all. I’ll tell you something, I have been showed this secret many times, in many forms. Most recently, I was showed the secret in the form of…well…”The Secret.”

I don’t know if any of y’all are familiar with this, but if you’re not, I urge you to check it out with an open mind. Seriously. It’s making such a huge difference for me, both in weight loss and other areas of my life.

I think most of y’all know that I’m currently on a journey, one that includes weight loss but is so much bigger than that. I wrote about it in my personal blog, so I’m just going to post it here too so you can see what I’m talking about!! Here ya go:

When I was fifteen, I read an article in a teen magazine called “Fake It Till Ya Make It.” The author explained that if you wanted to change things about yourself or your life, you only needed to “act as if” it were already the case. For example, she said that if one wanted to become more popular in school, one should behave as though that were already the case. So, one might be more open and friendly with other students, or one might be more likely to volunteer for clubs and other student activities.

I applied this concept to my life at that time, and had some positive results. In fact, the concept still sticks with me to this day. I have used it over the years to overcome various hurdles. For example, during one of my pregnancies, I developed some serious jealousy issues. These were completely unfounded, and they were directed at my poor husband. It caused many arguments and left both of us feeling awful. I felt sick over the whole thing, and KNEW that the jealousy was unreasonable, but even though my logical mind knew this, I could not bring myself to stop.

One day, it occurred to me that I was only hurting myself and my marriage, and I decided to get over it. Easier said than done right? Well, it was actually not as hard as one might think. I reminded myself every day that my husband loved me and that he wouldn’t cheat on me. I reminded myself that I trusted him, and when I felt jealousy coming on, I consciously pushed it out of my head by repeating these things and putting a smile on my face. Eventually, the “faking” became real, and I was (and am) much more confident in myself, and thus my marriage. What I realized then, was that the problems were all in my head and really had nothing to do with my husband. He’d never given me any reason to doubt him, but somehow I allowed myself to do so. Thankfully, he waited it out and things are better than ever now.

As time has gone on, this “fake it till ya make it” concept has presented itself to me many times, in various forms. Many self help books, books on spirituality, and other books will tell you the same thing. They might use more sophisticated language, and of course they’re directed at various audiences, but the same notes ring out each time. It all boils down to this:

YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK.

It all sounds too simple, am I right?

It certainly does. But the idea is that when one focuses on something, when one BELIEVES something, really wants it, it happens. When you become conscious of your thoughts, you can make a difference in the things that you bring into your life.

It can also happen unconsciously. For example, when I gave birth to my middle child, it occurred to me that I wanted to become a stay at home mom. I focused on this fact, and hard. Sure, I went back to work. But every day, I thought about being a stay at home mom. I felt jealous of friends who were able to do it. I read everything I could get my hands on about HOW to become one, and I discussed it with my husband. I talked about it with my friends, family, anyone who would listen. I wanted it, badly.

And one day, even though I had just been informed of a forthcoming promotion, my boss called me into his office and fired me. I asked him why, and he didn’t have a logical answer. I felt horribly insulted and upset, but when I drove away that day, I realized that I was feeling lighter than I had in months. I called my husband and told him, and then my mother.

That night, my husband and I decided that it was time for me to try staying home for awhile. Three years later, here I am, home, taking care of my family. This is something I never thought I’d do, much less love, but I am and I do. I am so grateful for the opportunity.

Speaking of gratitude, that is the first step to all of this. Remembering to be grateful for the things you have (and expressing gratitude for those things you WANT) seems to be a great starting point.

Recently, a friend gave me a copy of “The Secret.” This is yet another example of this concept bringing itself to the forefront in my life. I have to believe that there’s a reason for it. So here I go, learning to live again, learning to change my mind. And by changing my mind, I am making positive changes in my life. It’s amazing really, but it’s something that I truly believe works. I could list example after example of how this concept has affected my life, and have used it both consciously and unconsciously many times.

As I begin this new phase in my life, I am focusing now on the power of thought. I am making a concerted effort to be aware of my thoughts, and to avoid saying, doing, or thinking negative thoughts about myself or my world.

I’m no saint, of course, and occasionally I still let the mundane things get to me. However, instead of dwelling on things and letting them ruin my day (like the cranky husband in the morning for example!!), I focus on the positive things and move forward. (I’m grateful that my husband goes to work every day to take care of our family financially so that I can take care of them in other ways…etc.)

It works, folks, and this is just the beginning. Join me, if you will, on this journey of self discovery and self empowerment. Remember this: YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK.