Change or Die.

I try to do an hour of "Personal Development" every day, and today I was reading a book I received recently on recommendation from a friend called "Change or Die" by Alan Deutschman.

All I can say is, WOW.  This guy has the psychology of creating lasting behavior change DOWN.  In reading the primary tenets of the book, I realized I was looking backwards at a pretty accurate summary of the mind change that I went through within the last couple of years.

Upon first glance, the title gives the reader somewhat of a preconceived notion that Fear, Facts, and Force are the primary methods of creating lasting change.  Reader BEWARE!!!  Nothing could be further from the point of this book.

In fact, he makes the point that when the "Three 'F's' ARE employed, FEAR, FACTS, or FORCE, change is rarely if ever permanent or sustainable in any real way.  In fact, only 1 in 10 people who initially respond with a commitment to change their life which is based out of any of these three components ONLY will succeed in the long-run at making it a lasting change.

What, then?  Is this a hopeless situation for the life-time strugglers in the weight and diet department?  Are 9 out of 10 of us destined to slog out the rest of our days being overweight or obese and feeling powerless, absolutely POWERLESS to effect REAL an LASTING change?

On the contrary.  This is a book about hope.  H*O*P*E.

The Author, having studied three distinct populations where even the most professional psychologist and psychoanalyst, and medical science and history say are UNCHANGEABLE in their behaviors, and having SEEN REAL and LASTING change and OBSERVED 8 out of 10 of these persons living a life of FREEDOM from their past, unwanted behaviors, comes to the conclusion that there are THREE KEYS to creating real, lasting, sustainable, ACTUAL changes in lifestyle and perspective.

Whew!  I was hoping he would say that!

What are those three keys?

1)  Relate
2) Repeat
3) Reframe

"1- Relate:  You form a new, emotional relationship with a person or community that inspires and sustains hope.If you face a situation that a reasonable person would consider hopeless, you need the influence of seemingly "unreasonable" people to restore your hope - to make you believe that you can change, and expect that you will change.


2- Repeat:  The new relationship helps you learn, practice, and master the new habits and skills that you'll need. 
It takes a lot of repetition over time before new patterns of behavior become automatic and seem natural - until you act the new way without even thinking about it.  It helps tremendously to have a good teacher, coach, or mentor to give you guidance, encouragement, and direction along the way. 

3- Reframe:  The new relationship helps you learn new ways of thinking about your situation and your life. 
Ultimately, you look at the world in a way that would have been so foreign to you that it wouldn't have made any sense before you changed.

New hope, new skills, and new thinking.

Wow.  Just, WOW.  This describes to a "T" my journey with Take Shape For Life.

Whew!

I know there are some who believe that I just had a big dose of the crazy sauce.

No, looking back I know that all three of the above actually occurred in my life, and that it allowed me to create a solid foundation of health.

NOT A DIET.

I hope someone finds encouragement in this synopsis.  I know I found great encouragement reading it in the book!

Rinse and Repeat!