Make It a Non-Decision

Do you want to lose weight? Give up a bad habit? Start a good habit? If so, try this simple solution.

Every time you have a choice about what to eat, or whether to smoke a cigarette, or hit the gym, remove the entire decision-making process. In other words, don't give yourself a choice. Don't entertain various possibilities. Stop offering yourself choices in these situations. Act as if the decision has already been made. Because it has. You have made it.

Let's say you want to lose weight. In order to do this, you need to choose to eat nutritious foods instead of junk food. And you need to move your body daily. So make the choice to do this. And then DON'T ENTERTAIN OTHER POSSIBILITIES.

When you drive home from work, don't stop for fast food. You have already made this decision. You can tell your subconscious, "I don't stop for fast food." You will need to be prepared by having nutritious foods in your fridge, or cooking meals ahead of time, or ordering a healthy meal plan that gets delivered to your home. When you make the decision to lose weight, this must be part of the plan. Be prepared. Then don't get derailed. You have already made this decision.

Choose an exercise plan that you know you will enjoy. Make sure it is convenient, close by, and ideally get a friend to join you. Sign up for a class, join a gym, make the choice to be active on a daily basis. Then DON'T ENTERTAIN OTHER POSSIBILITIES.

On the way to work, or on the way home each day, stop off at the gym or the dance studio or the yoga class or the park. Have your sneakers, yoga mat, towel, change of clothes, whatever you need, in the car. Grab your gym bag, get your workout in, take a shower, and get on with your day. Don't skip it, even for a single day. Make it a habit. Do it no matter how you feel. If you are tired, be gentle with yourself, but still do it. Tell yourself, "I workout every day." And then do.

We cannot rely on will power to help us make hundreds of daily good decisions. By the end of the day, or even the end of the morning, we'd be exhausted from having to make so many choices. And trying to make the right choices. The way to avoid this problem is stop making choices. Stop trying to decide whether or not to eat a cupcake at the meeting. Make the choice ONCE. Make it well ahead of time. Decide that you don't snack between meals. Or that you don't eat refined carbs. Decide to say NO to the stuff you don't need, the stuff that hurts you. Once you make this decision, it is DONE. You no longer have to choose. DON'T ENTERTAIN OTHER POSSIBILITIES.

Yes, this sounds simple. Because it is simple. Let the little voice inside your head repeat whatever it is you have chosen for yourself. Keep repeating it as many times as you need to, until you believe it. Until you follow your own directions. Tell yourself, "I exercise daily." Or "I don't eat dessert." Or "I am a nonsmoker." And pretty soon, you will be in the habit. You will make your words come true.