[skittlesfirehawk]

Does anyone follow it?Ive seen the movie the secret a thousand times.I was reading on the story sharing part of the site.Some of it doesnt sit well with me.Alot of the storie are saying they ate crap did not exercise and lost all the weight.I want to be fit and healthy because its better for my body and it helps me lose weight.I just cant see eating crap and losing weight.Im trying to focus on eating good 80% and bad 20% of the time.im going to make a vision board later.Do any of you follow it or make a vison board?

[CanadianCutie]

I don't believe in "The Secret". Positive thinking does help, but it will only get you so far.

[Quiet Ballerina]

I don't think there's anything wrong with positive thinking and making vision boards. In fact, I think they can be very helpful.

However, if i think all day long "I'm going to be thin, I'm going to be thin" while eating bags of chips and cookies...I won't be thin.

[Palestrina]

I think the company is a gimmick. I do however believe in positive thinking and trusting my senses, wishing good for myself and others and it's a great way to live. I also think it's very dangerous to think about food as good vs. bad. All food is nourishment and if we pay attention to how it makes us feel and base our choices on those feelings then we're not doing anything inheritely wrong.

For example, eating salad makes me feel good. It makes me feel healthy, hydrated, positive, part of the earth. It also makes me feel a little hungry sooner than I hoped for. It also makes me feel like I want to eat something else. If I eat a box of donuts, it too makes me feel a certain way. At first it makes me feel kind of high, then it makes me feel groggy and sick and sleepy. If you think about it in terms of how it makes me feel PHYSICALLY then I'm probably looking to feel high, bury my emotions and feel lethargic on purpose, as so many of us emotional eaters do so very often. And if I label a food bad I'm labeling myself bad too which just leads to more negative self thoughts. Am I bad though? Aren't I just trying to escape some bad emotion that I can't handle by eating? Aren't I in fact trying to take care of myself in some disillusioned way? Is that so bad?

[Scarlett]

I'm a fan of the Secret and the Law of Attraction.

I honestly believe in the power of Intention. The attitude that you intend to do something is powerful. If you are on fire for what you want and have the attitude that you are going to do whatever it takes, most of the time you will get there. I think it is powerful to focus on the end result rather than the reasons why it wont happen.

Like others have said though, I think you need to take some of the ideas with a grain of salt. Focus on the overall message of staying positive and acting as if it was already predetermined that you were gonna get there..

[BeachBreeze2010]

I haven't seen the movie that you mention, but I am a big believer in the Law of Attraction in general. For this reason - it puts personal responsibility at the center of your mind and gets rid of the victim mentality. If I have the power to get what I want and I control my thoughts to put myself in the path of what I want, I'm not thinking about excuses or things that will derail my success. I take responsibility to choose to think about positive things that will get me to my goals.

Conscious redirection of thought is a skill that takes practice, but once you are good at it you will find yourself naturally more positive and it no longer is as conscious. There's only so much real estate in our brains. When we use the space in our head and the time in our day to think about ways to achieve our goals, we aren't using it to think about french fries or how good it will feel to sit on the couch. If your focus is on a new song for your treadmill workout or on how good it will feel to stretch after your workout, you're more likely to actually exercise.

I think a visual board could help, but clipping pictures while thinking about how much better these people look than you won't help you. For me, I feel positive when I am learning to do something or am taking care of myself (even in a non-weight loss way). So when I am feeling the negatives take over, I start reading articles about exercise routines or think about painting my nails or even just a new hairstyle. Self care spills over into habits that make me thinner also. But that's me. Whatever it is that gets you focused on positive outcomes is what you should do.

So, it's not just about thinking positively. But about thinking positively about things that will actually get you to your goals. In other words, sitting on the couch thinking - I can lose weight - is good, but that alone won't do much. But sitting on the couch thinking - I'd like to try a zumba class and then getting up and getting on the computer and finding one and then actually going, will get you to your goals. The negative thoughts may try to keep you from taking those efforts, but the conscious thought redirection will help you get there and keep you coming back. "I think that looks like fun" "I'd like to make some new friends" "I'd like to get a new pair or yoga pants that I like for the class" rather than "I'll feel fat and jiggly" or "It's too far to drive" "I really should do some laundry instead." Which thought pattern do you think will get you to your goals? That's the power of positive thinking.

[Palestrina]

Well said BeachBreeze! Positivity is not in doing and thinking. Negative self thoughts are very damaging. We really can change our brains by confronting our negative thoughts, I've been practicing this for a few months about my own self image. I used to have horrible thoughts about myself every time I looked in the mirror. My thighs are fat, my feet are too big, I'm starting to get wrinkles... it was nothing but sadness and fear and disdain to look at myself. I began by looking in the mirror and trying to focus on one thing that I really liked about myself "I like my hair color" and then two things and then the list of things I like grew. At first it felt contrived and theatrical to point out positive things I liked, but then it started feeling a little more comforting and now it's enjoyable. I can safely say now that when I catch a glimpse of myself in a store window my initial reaction is not "yuck" anymore. Instead I think "nice curves lady!" All this and my weight and shape have not changed, just my outlook.

Our minds are powerful enough to conjure up change, if we set ourselves to the task. Going through these steps has allowed me to feel better about shopping, picking out things to wear, looking forward to getting dressed, and even accepting compliments from strangers. That's a whole lot of change for just putting out a few positive thoughts isn't it?