Are your own beliefs keeping you from reaching your goals? As a life and weight coach, I work with many people whose biggest barriers to achieving their dreams are their own beliefs. Most of these beliefs aren’t even true, yet they keep people from getting what they want out of life.

Let’s say you want to lose weight. You think you want this more than anything else. Because you’ve tried a million diets, and either never reached your goal or gained the weight back, you seriously doubt that you can do it. Maybe you even have a belief that you were meant to be overweight. If you don’t believe you can lose weight, you will inevitably prove yourself right. You’ll even look for evidence to prove to yourself that your belief is a fact. It seems crazy, but we all do this!

A lot of the things we believe we were taught as children. My mother used to tell me that eating bread was “fattening.” She also told me that I couldn’t sing. For much of my life I believed I was a bad singer. I’m no Kristin Chenoweth, but I have a decent voice, can sing on key and can pick out harmony lines more easily than most people. Yet I believed my mother when she told me I was a lousy singer.

Last month, I started a Facebook group called Ditch the Diet Tribe. I started this group because I wanted a way to share with as many people as were interested what I’m so excited about: that you can lose weight without deprivation and diets. We’re a steadily growing group, and it is lots of fun to get to know everyone and help them change their relationship with food and eating. If you’re interested, I hope you’ll click here, hop on over and request to join.

The reason I mention this group is because people post beliefs about food and eating that they think are true. Beliefs that they don’t question. Beliefs that actually prevent them from losing weight.

For example, a few members were talking about how they need to eat crunchy food. They discussed it like it was something innate, permanent and unchangeable. Like something they were born with. Because they believe it, they make it true.

I’m not saying that people don’t get cravings to eat crunchy snacks. They do. But the reason people crave crunchy snacks is because for decades they have eaten crunchy snacks when they’re stressed out or wanting to soothe some kind of negative emotion. Sort of like a baby with a pacifier. (It is worth noting that when you were a baby, you didn’t have a need to eat crunchy foods or sweets!) Rather than feeling negative emotions and dealing with them in a productive way, a lot of people, especially those who are overweight, have developed a habit of covering up these emotions with crunchy foods. Or sweets.

When these folks feel certain emotions, their brain has learned to tell them to eat crunchy snacks. That’s because the brain is efficient and has made a connection for you between your emotions and eating. You have formed a habit. You don’t even think about it. Like driving a car or brushing your teeth. You just do it, and think that you “need” crunchy snacks.

If you believe that you “need” to eat in response to any habitual craving, you will. And the result is that you won’t change your habit, you’ll continue to eat when you aren’t hungry, and you won’t lose weight.

But you can change your thoughts and consequently change your brain. When you change your thoughts, you change your actions and your results. Let’s say you don’t want to believe that you need crunchy foods. You think, “what do I need to believe to get the results I want?” Then, whenever you get the urge to eat crunchy snacks, you stop and notice what is going on. You decide not to eat because you aren’t hungry, and think, “I am willing to feel the discomfort of my cravings and let them pass.” Or, “I used to crave crunchy snacks, but I’m not like that anymore.”

In 10 minutes, the craving will likely pass. Think of how great you will feel having not given in to that old habit that is keeping you from losing weight. Maybe the urge will return. You think again that you can feel that discomfort. It won’t kill you. You can handle it. It passes. Every time it passes without you giving in, you’re rewiring your brain. If you do this enough times, your brain will eventually stop telling you to eat crunchy foods when you’re stressed out. It won’t even occur to you to do that! Really!

Whenever you find yourself believing things that keep you from reaching your goals, take a few minutes and ask yourself whether your belief is really true or whether it is just a belief that isn’t serving you. Your brain is the most powerful tool on the planet, and you can harness that power for positive change. You can control your thoughts. You can change them. When you control your thinking, you control your emotions, your actions and your results.

When you take control of your thinking, miracles can occur.

Want to make your own miracles? Check out my programs HERE. I’d love to teach you how to harness the power of your brain to be a healthy weight or make other positive changes in your life!