What’s the real reason you want to lose weight? Use this strategy to find your why.
How many people do you know who want to lose weight? Now, how many of those people are actually making strides towards that goal? Not nearly as many, am I right?
The reason that people who want to lose weight don’t, is that they don’t have a strong enough reason pulling them towards that goal. Sometimes looking good in your jeans just isn’t enough of a reason to not eat 3 cupcakes at your daughter’s birthday party.
Your why needs to be deeper than that. It needs to be strong enough that when you have those cupcakes in front of you, you can lean on your why. You remember that why and it strikes a chord in your heart that makes you say, “No, thank you.” You feel better about making progress than you do about eating food that won’t get you to that goal.
Whenever I have a goal I want to accomplish, I use this strategy to help me nail down why I want to accomplish that goal. It’s called the 5 Why Method. Developed by Sakichi Toyoda, founder of the Toyota Company, to help his teams problem solve; you can use this strategy to find out the real reason you want to lose weight.
How to use the 5 Why Method
You’re going to have the best results with this exercise if you grab and pen and paper and write down the questions and answers. Go grab these now before you keep reading! Trust me, it’s much easier to do right now while you’re learning about it than to come back and do it some other time!
Let’s get started!
You’ll start the 5 Why Method by asking “Why do I want to accomplish this?” Today, we’re going to use weight loss as an example since that’s what this blog is about.
So you would ask yourself, “Why do I want to lose weight?”
Then write down your answer. Your answer will be unique to you.
For this example let’s say you answered, “I want to wear a bikini at the pool this year.”
Next, you ask “But why do I want to…(Insert your previous answer here.)
So, I would ask, “But why do I want to wear a bikini?”
“I want to wear a bikini to the pool because it will mean I’m fit.”
Then you ask the “But why do I want to…” question again.
“But, why do I want to be fit?”
“Because if I’m fit, I will be happy with my body..”
You repeat the “But why do I want to..” a third time.
“But why do I want to be happy with my body?”
“If I’m happy with my body I will feel more confident in my life.”
Ask yourself why for the fourth time, “But why do I want to…”
“But why do I want to be more confident in my life?”
“If I’m confident then I will be able to boldly meet my goals and show up for myself and the people I care about.”
Last time! Repeat the “But why do I want to…” question.
“But why do I want to boldly show up for myself and others?”
“If I boldly show up and accomplish my goals, I will be living in my purpose and the life I want to live.”
The answer to that last why is the answer! It’s the REAL reason you want to lose weight. Now that you really know what your driving force is you can take actionable steps towards your goal.
Use your why to fuel you. Maybe your why is your kids. Maybe it’s being around to help your parents as they get older. Whatever it is, know that your why is now strong enough to help push you through the hard times.
If you’re struggling to find your why or to accomplish your weight loss goals on your own, then let’s chat! I can help you improve your mindset while accomplishing your goals. Schedule a free discovery call to get started!
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