And the Winner is…You (if You Choose to Let it Be)

I was on set yesterday shooting a commercial with two actors from Los Angeles. While the makeup artist and I were getting them ready for the shoot, we spent the better part of the morning talking about the Oscars. One of the actors has been dating someone for quite some time that went to film school over twenty years ago with three of this year’s Oscar nominees and winners. I asked what came of her boyfriend’s film school education.

She said he chose a quicker and more predictable route to financial stability and opened a restaurant. His plan was to manage the restaurant while trying to get films off the ground. The restaurant ended up being a sweet success, but also resulted in a huge time commitment and her boyfriend never put his attention, energy, or efforts into making films. So now at fifty plus, he has deep regrets and is trying to make it happen. I wish him well and all things are possible, but his very common story serves as a shining example, or reminder rather, that what we put our attention towards begins to show up in our life.

I’m not a Law of Attraction disciple, but I firmly believe (and have seen repeatedly in my own life), that if you are passionate about something and you forget about how you’re going to make it happen and focus on nourishing your soul and just doing it instead; it has a magical way of appearing in your life and bringing you great joy and success. You have to wholeheartedly believe in yourself and your ability to succeed because you have no way of predicting what the time-line is for this success. I have also found that often this success is far bigger, better, and more fully realized than anything you could have possibly imagined.

This principle can be applied to anything — even losing weight and becoming a much healthier version of yourself. On that note, another pre-shoot topic yesterday was weight loss. I heard about marginal success from going carb-free, fat-free, juicing, fasting, and drinking pre-made weight loss shakes.  To me, that screams “quick fix” and I don’t believe in such a thing. I don’t believe you should do anything you can’t see yourself doing forever (including running a restaurant when your passion is making films).

Why do you think dieters have some weight loss success, but can’t maintain the new method that is bringing them success? Why do you think yo-yo dieting is so common? Why do you think Atkins dieters lose, but then gain the weight back plus twenty-five pounds?

For all the same reason: Perfectly smart people are putting their attention on a quicker, more predictable route than something that would nourish their body, help them lose unwanted pounds, become abundantly healthier, and ensure that the excess weight could become part of their history and never again a part of their future.

Why choose an overly-processed weight loss shake that doesn’t satiate you or nourish you and ultimately help in your weight loss efforts when you can eat a hearty bowl of oatmeal or fruit and yogurt instead? Real food, in other words.

Except for a few years in college, I’ve been eating real food all my life — whole carbs, good fats, lean proteins, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Maintaining my weight is not something I have to worry about or work very hard at.  You don’t have to either. If you’re passionate about having a healthy body; place your attention on taking the best possible care of yourself and not quick-fix, weight loss goals and let your body become the healthy vehicle it was intended to be the day you were born.