Hi ,

As a coach who has been practicing over 20 years now, I’ve seen up close and personal how difficult it is for people to change. Change is humbling and requires real courage. It means moving beyond what you’ve known and stepping into the unknown. Most people are scared of the unknown. It’s full of uncertainty and we humans don’t like uncertainty. 

We crave familiarity, even when it’s detrimental to our wellbeing. There’s the saying “I’ll take the devil I know over the devil I don’t know.” 

I see this thinking play out with some of my clients who are struggling with food and weight issues. As much as they hate being overweight or being obsessed with food, and profess they want to change, they’re terrified at the prospect of letting it go.

Often, overeating is their main form of comfort and pleasure and part of them can’t imagine any other way to be.  Letting go is a gradual process. Before you can let overeating go, you need to develop other ways to receive comfort and pleasure in life besides food and this demands changes in how you’re living your life. 

When people realize this, that it’s not really about the food but how they’re living their lives, resistance and fear often set in. You see, they want the results of the change, but not the work and process they have to go through to have the change!

It’s like wanting to win the lottery but you’re not willing to buy a ticket!

Changing your life requires you to stop accepting the status quo, take risks, do the work, put yourself out there, etc. That means you must come face to face with your fears: fear of the unknown, fear of not being good enough, fear of change, fear of rejection, etc.

Many overeaters are hiding from life, stuck in their ruts, miserable and yet continue to actively choose that misery. Abe Lincoln said, “ Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” 

The first step to changing your life begins with the decision that you want more out of life. You want to feel truly alive again. You must believe that you’re worthy of a better life. You must believe that you’re worth investing your time and energy to have something better for yourself. Most of all, you must be willing to put in the necessary work and sacrifice to have what you say you want. It won’t be given to you. Nor will it be easy, but it will be worth it. 

This is your one and only life. What will you choose: familiarity or the prospect of a healthier, happier life?