By Alisa Hancock

My weight has been my greatest teacher.

In so many areas of my life, as I’ve studied and applied universal laws and principles, I’ve experienced almost instant results. But weight loss? That’s been a completely different kind of journey—and I’m so grateful it has been. It’s required me to dig deeper, stretch wider, and open myself to entirely new ways of seeing and doing things.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is this: we’re always better off when we start from a place of gratitude. So I make a conscious effort to express gratitude for my body—every single day. I’m thankful for my sight, my hearing, my mobility, my health. That shift alone has been powerful.

Writing a Vision Statement

One of the first things I had to shift was my vision statement.

For a long time, I was hyper-focused on the numbers—how much I weighed, how much I wanted to weigh. I used the word “weigh” so many times in my vision statement, it was literally weighing me down! So I stepped back and got clear on what I actually wanted: to feel fit, to feel healthy, and to feel full of energy!

Then I bumped into another truth: we can only achieve what we actually believe is possible. And because I’d failed so many times with this goal, my belief level around it was incredibly low. So, to start raising it, I began with this simple yet empowering statement:
“I choose being fit, healthy, and full of energy!”

But I didn’t stop there. I also realized that saying positive affirmations while still feeling heavy or discouraged was totally counter-productive. So I added a feeling statement right after:
“I feel fabulous, confident, playful, and full of energy!”

And then I wrapped it all up with my updated vision:
“I am so happy and grateful now that I am fit, healthy, and full of energy!”

I applied the principle of repetition and made it a practice. I said each of these statements out loud—at least 10 times a day—with as much passion and enthusiasm as I could muster!

Aligning Thought, Feeling & Action

There was another lesson I couldn’t ignore: saying affirmations is great—but if I’m not following them up with consistent action, they lose their power. If I said I was committed to my health, but skipped my workouts? The results just didn’t come.

The key is alignment. Your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions all need to be working together. And that means small, consistent, daily action—that’s what brings lasting transformation.

Overcoming Self-Sabotage

I discovered that asking better questions leads to better answers.

Whenever I asked myself a closed-ended question—something like “Will I be successful with my goal?”—my analytical brain immediately jumped in, replayed every past failure, and shouted a big, fat NO.

But when I asked a powerful open-ended question like:
“How can I be successful with my goal?”
—that question opened up space for solutions. My creative brain lit up and started finding new possibilities.

Another game-changer? The “Isn’t it interesting...?” question.

Whenever I found myself taking an action that didn’t support my goal, I started asking:
“Isn’t it interesting that I chose not to exercise this morning?”
“Isn’t it interesting that I ate those cookies?”

This kind of question removes judgment. It removes resistance. And as we know, “that which we resist, persists.” If we resist the sabotage, it sticks around. But if we acknowledge it without judgment, it loses its grip.

Then I followed up with more empowering questions:

• How can I fit exercise into my busy schedule?

• How can I eat those cookies and still reach my goal?

• How can I eat more fruits and vegetables?

• How can I eat healthy, well-balanced meals and snacks?

• What can I do to optimize my metabolism?

“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

Just like with anything else in life, your path to lasting weight loss won’t look like someone else’s. What works for them may not work for you. But when we stay aligned with true principles, the right teacher always shows up at the right time.

So, go as far as you can with the knowledge you already have. Keep asking great questions along the way. And watch as unexpected mentors, tools, and answers appear right when you need them.

Who knows? You might end up with completely different teachers than you expected—showing up to teach you completely different things.
Won’t it be interesting to see how it all works out for you?

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•   To discover how to start choosing more effectively now, read The Jackrabbit Factor (FREE!)  
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