You might think our obese clients reach their weight loss goals one meal or one mile or one pound at a time. But in fact, they get there one promise at a time. Sure, eating right and working out are the physical reasons that they lose 250 pounds, drop 20 sizes, and shed 100 inches off their measurements. Good habits are what take down their cholesterol levels and make them healthy from the inside out. But each of these habits started as a commitment to making a small change in their daily routine. The real reason our clients make these incredible achievements is that when they make a promise to themselves, they keep it.
How do they do it? Our clients' promises have something in common: They become so strong that they're virtually unbreakable. When they stand tall at the end of their year-long journey, chest out and chin high, our clients celebrate the self-love that they've discovered and nurtured month after month. They couldn't care less about the fat-loss benefits of 30 minutes on the treadmill.
What they do care about is that they promised themselves 30 minutes and completed the full 30... maybe even an extra minute or two! They never stop at 29 minutes. I repeat, NEVER. If they did, their self-esteem and self-belief would take huge body blows that could be devastating and even spin them into a downward spiral.
But these fierce guys and gals weren't always so tough. Like you, they had to start somewhere. That somewhere was integrity. Integrity -- honoring your word -- is an ideal in every society. Throughout history "a man of his word" has earned respect and admiration. Because of this, most of us are terrific at keeping promises to others. If we give someone our word, gosh darn it, we're going to keep our promise! But what about keeping your promises to the most valuable and important person in the world? What about keeping your promises to you?!
Listen up, because this is the key to transformation: The more you honor your integrity, the more dignity you have. Your promises to yourself must be so important and easily kept that you'll reach out and grab them every single day -- because you want what you've promised yourself!
Keeping each promise to yourself has to be your focus, because it shows you that you are your own top priority. Each promise made is another step toward valuing and loving yourself and a brick in the foundation of your transformation. Each promise kept -- your integrity -- is the mortar that holds the bricks together, and the more promises you honor, the stronger the foundation gets.
Every time you make a promise to yourself, your self-esteem is on the line, so make only first- class promises you know you can keep. Give yourself the respect you deserve by making honest and authentic ones. How many times have you made wishy washy, half-hearted promises like "The diet starts Monday," or "I'll work out when I have the time"? And how many times have you shelved these pledges? Yeah, over and over and over again. You've got to get serious about your integrity. Transformation happens when you honor your promises over your reasons. So look yourself in the mirro, make a solid, real promise, and then fulfill that promise. The outcome will be powerful beyond measure.
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