Similar to your house’s thermostat which controls the internal temperature of your home, you have what I like to call an internal thermostat that controls how far you can go in achieving your goals, especially when it comes to your self image. You see, the way a thermostat works is that once you set it, for example, to 70 degrees, the thermostat will make sure that the temperature doesn’t deviate too far from that number. The same concept happens with our internal thermostat. Once we set a certain bar regarding how fit we can be, how much weight we can lose, or how successful we can be, we will never go higher or past that bar. In other words, that bar will limit our growth to whatever we set it, and that’s not good.

As a coach working in the fitness industry for 10+ years, I can attest to the fact that the number one factor that limits people’s transformation is how they perceive themselves and what they believe about themselves. The unfortunate reality is that most people see themselves in a negative light. They feel like they can only accomplish things to a certain point, but they don’t dare to go beyond those expectations. For example, when things become challenging, people’s natural tendency is to hyper-focus on the obstacle itself instead of focusing on the bigger picture – themselves as being overachievers who can and will overcome any obstacle. Moreover, people tend to settle for less because they simply don’t know how to change their self image. Committing to improving your health or losing weight can be tough, especially if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing. Being disheartened by slow results or overwhelmed by confusing information is normal, I know. But don’t let that limit your expectations.

The key is to visualize yourself as achieving everything and anything you set out to do. Change whatever negative image you have of yourself and replace it with the right images, images that will motivate and inspire you to keep going. Make sure you don’t pigeonhole yourself into thinking you’ve gone as far as you can go and rise above and beyond that internal thermostat inside you. Remember, the sky’s the limit!