Winning by losing

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When the emphasis is on what you can't have, there is just one massive black hole needing to be filled.

I quit smoking 10 years ago, and it was tough.  Since then I've put on about one pound each year.  Not a gi-normous amount, but still, I think it's time to take it off. :-)

When I quit smoking, I must have attempted 1000 times.  Agony!  I still want a cigarette, to tell you the truth.  I still dream about smoking and when I do, it is a nightmare... one of those dreams within a dream, where you think it is real, then hope it is a dream and can't really be happening, and then realize with horror it's actually real, and then wake up with total relief!  Usually I get this dream once or twice a year, after I've been hanging out with smokers.

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Anyway, tangent.  What made me successful over the last ten years was wanting health and wellness, and wanting to save money...  In other words, thinking about what I would GAIN by quitting.  Focusing on abundance vs. deprivation.

So... right off the bat, trying to 'lose' weight just doesn't resonate.  Automatically setting myself up with a not-too-enjoyable proposition.  I LOVE food!  I NEED food!  Why would I want less of something that brings me so much pleasure?

I guess there are many keys to this dilemma.  What will I gain by losing?

Better health + a more youthful 'Real Age' + more energy + feeling better in my own skin.

I know, I know, I'm ranting.... and googling about the notion of willpower:

• A new wave of research
•  Willpower Instinct, How Self Control Works and Why it Matters

In the meantime here is something to smile about, a re-enactment of the famous kid's Stanford Marshmallow experiment.