"I can't lose weight until the
economy improves," she said to me.

By Joan Hitlin

When it comes to putting off shaping up, I thought I had heard every possible "not now" or "not yet" in the book.

"I can't lose weight because _______":

• My metabolism is slow.
• I'm addicted to chocolate.
• My husband/wife/partner/children like donuts so I have to keep them in the house ... or ... my office mate keeps a bowl of M&Ms on her desk.
• I eat when I'm tired.
• I don't like to feel deprived.
• My thyroid is sluggish.
• I have an eating disorder.
• I eat when I'm depressed (anxious, sad, angry, happy, excited, in love).

OK, OK — I'll stop, although I could go on, since there are as many explanations as there are people doing the explaining. Last week, I heard a new excuse: "I can't lose weight until the economy improves."

Our sluggish economy seems to have become the catchall justification for postponing wanted transformation, forward motion, creative exploration... and, yes, lightening up (in both senses of the word).

The slump in the economy has put a crimp into our collective mojo— causing us to hunker down, hide in plain sight, and put everything on hold.

Although that's one way to react to the news, I'd like to suggest another approach ...

If you bring forth what is within you,

What you bring forth will save you.

If you do not bring forth what is within you,

What you do not bring forth will destroy you.

Why not use this down time, where nothing seems to be happening, to make something happen. Instead of prohibiting, give yourself permission... instead of postponing, try preparing ... instead of procrastinating, become proactive.

Excuses and explanations — even the best, most logical ones — are actually negative perturbations in your energy system. You think certain thoughts, your body responds to those thoughts, and your energy (mojo) collapses.

Fortunately, there are wonderful energy techniques — like EFT, Self-Hypnosis, REMwork and Focusing — which take the negative charge out of de-mojifying thoughts and beliefs, thus permitting you to move forward toward achieving your goals. And, amazingly, the successes that you achieve in one area have a positive viral effect, spreading into other areas of your life, building confidence and mojomentum.

With a little bit of help from someone who's been there before you, and who knows the path, "NOW" can become the best time to overcome those obstacles which have been keeping you from fully bringing forth what is within you.

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