How to Lose Those Last Ten Pounds :

by Anne Berline

My mother told me a story last night. When she first started working in sales, her goal was to "write a string of pearls" -- in her parlance, five weeks in a row of 100 sales or more. Her first two weeks would be great -- but that third week was the killer. Four times in a row she got through those two weeks, only to fail on the third . Every morning she told herself, "I can write a hundred sales this week." However, in the back of her mind, she added, "I can never get that third week."

On Thursday of that dreaded third week, she was struggling and determined, even though she'd only made 22 sales so far that week. She woke up and told herself, "I can do it" -- and for the first time, she actually HEARD what she was saying to herself in the back of her mind. "BUT I CAN NEVER GET THAT THIRD WEEK." Realizing she'd been undermining her attempts at positive mental attitude, she resolved to overcome it. She went out that day and made over 50 sales, and the rest of the week fell into place. Not only that, she went on to write "a string of pearls" that set a record in her company that has yet to be bested.

So what was her secret? And how does it compare to the price of tea in China when it comes to losing weight? Plainly put, your biggest enemy in your quest to lose weight is your own self-doubt and negative thinking. Positive affirmations are a powerful psychological tool that can help you lose weight -- but it's just as important to catch your negative thinking and turn it positive.

How many times have you caught yourself thinking, "I can never lose those last ten pounds"? No matter how positive you believe you're being, no matter how often you congratulate yourself for the great job you're doing, those lingering doubts and mental negativisms are sabotaging you.

Overcoming them isn't a silver bullet that will make it all work out--but at least you won't be fighting your own inner voices when you face those last ten pounds, or that piece of cheesecake...

So ow did Mother do it? She used a sneaky trick that might be just what you need to get you shedding those last ten pounds. She decided that since she could never get that third week, she'd stop thinking of it as "that third week." Instead, she just focused on selling what she could that day. Setting a new goal relieved her of the pressure and negativity that had been holding her back.

Setting yourself a new goal can refresh your perspective and wipe away all the "failures" that seem to be holding you back. Forget the "last ten pounds." From this morning on, think of it as "only ten pounds." When you only have to lose ten measly pounds, how can you miss?

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