Skyler Meine

The Power of Positive Influences

It’s tough to feel confident about your ability to slim down when your friends aren’t. Sometimes even well-meaning friends and family are skeptical of our goals. (Often they feel bad that they’re not making the same great changes in their own lives, so they unconsciously put you down.)

Losing weight is hard. We don’t need negative influences around us to make it harder. No—we need people to help us make it easier! And they can. In fact, positive influences are essential to your body shaping mission.

Take a look at this post on No More Bacon: it’s by “the woman behind the fat guy”—Ryan’s wife. Can you see the role she plays in his journey, and the role he plays in hers? They keep each other strong and upbeat, and the heights they have reached in just one year are phenomenal.

So where are these positive influences in your life?

The People You Hang Out With: It’s smart to spend time with upbeat people who support your goal. Your mind absorbs what people tell you and the energy around you—positivity is contagious! You may not have to go outside your circle to find it: sometimes it’s as simple as asking your friends and family for support.

A Community of Like-Minded People: If you can’t get your friends and family on board (and even if you can), join a community related to your goal. Spending time with a group of people who have the same purpose and experiences as you is invaluable.

Body Shaping Hypnotherapy: How is hypnosis a positive influence? Tammy Garner, the Master Certified Hypnotherapist who worked with me to create the Mastering the Mind series, knows exactly how to get your subconscious mind to work positively toward your goal. So, not only is she a positive influence in your life, but she’ll help you become your own positive influence—which is what achieving your IdealShape hinges on. (Why? Read this)

1. The Experts: Personal trainers, weight loss coaches and nutrition professionals are powerful positive influences. We are trained to help you create your ideal body and mind, and we’re passionate about the mission. This blog is a great source of positivity, so keep reading! I’m here offering encouragement and expert advice, free of charge, simply because I want you to learn that you have the power to create change in your life.

If you want to make your weight loss path smoother, more enlightened and more fun, surround yourself with the positive influences above. You’ve already got three on board—you’ve joined a community, you listen to Mastering the Mind each day, and you’ve sought out my advice on this forum.

That leaves one goal for today: spend some time in the company of a positive person. Pick someone who is supportive of your goals, and hang out with them or give them a call. Enlist the encouragement of everyone around you!

See you back here tomorrow. And if you have questions or comments, leave them below.

You’re doing great!

hypnosis, hypnotherapist, IdealShape, nomorebacon, personal trainers, positive influences, ryan sullivan, subconscious mind, weight loss path

Weight loss is not a solo journey. Being part of a community and interacting with like-minded people is important in all things, but especially to a successful body shaping program.

Why?

Two reasons. One, a support network is a reinforcer—adding social pressure to make you accountable for your goals. And two, it’s an uplifter—making you feel happy, confident and educated about what you’re working toward.

The Online Community

Blogs, forums and other online communities are a great place to discuss your experience and ask questions without fear of judgment. You can feel good commenting on others’ stories and showing them support. In fact, you’ve already joined an online community by coming here.

Two more incredible communities are NoMoreBacon and AskFitnessCoach. Both invite you to share in the authors’ successes and mishaps on the road to their IdealShapes. They share research and pose thoughtful questions, and hope that you will add yours. Here, community members like Mizfit show support, add info, and are inspired. Remember, the people who create online communities aren’t doing it for themselves; they are passionate about fitness, and want to educate, entertain, show positive support and hear from you!

It only takes a minute to acknowledge others on their weight loss journey, or leave a tip about something that works for you. You’ll be doing your friends in the community a bigger service than you know. Please leave a comment on any post here that inspires you.

The Live Community

Because it’s not good to spend all your networking time at the computer, get out of the house to meet people, too! A successful body shaping mission should be active and fully engaged. Socialize with others who are working toward their IdealShape: join a class, arrange a club, or attend a fitness boot camp.

Honestly, being alone in a weight loss journey isn’t much fun. It’s not effective or sustainable, either. We need social support and reinforcement to create a change this big in our lives.

Communities provide great information and free support. You could pay a therapist to psychoanalyze why you have trouble managing your weight. Or, you can empower yourself by discussing your experiences right here with a weight loss expert and others like you. Which seems like a better way to understand where you’re coming from and what you need to work on? Which sounds more fun?

Your goal for today is… To connect with others who are on a weight loss journey. Maybe it will be the social media community online, or maybe you’ll reach out to your network of friends and family and beyond. Hopefully, it will be both!

So get out and join the community today. Learn from others’ experiences, share yours, and talk to the experts. Make your IdealShape a reality!

ask questions, body shaping, fitness boot camp, free support, IdealShape, mizfit, nomorebacon, online community, psychoanalyze, weight loss community, weight loss journey