Sometimes it is so hard to get fired up to do what we know we really want to do. We get tired, life makes us weary, and we feel frustrated.

So, it’s time to trick yourself. You must tell yourself thoughts that you may not even believe.

You must put pictures into your mind to trick your brain and change your attitude.

Let me explain.

It can be really hard to stay on your chosen path sometimes. You work hard and you feel as if you are making no progress.

You reach a plateau in your weight loss struggles, you feel stuck, or the novelty of the new exercise program has worn off.

You are trying to stay the course with some work issues, and you aren’t seeing the results yet anywhere that you look.

It’s time to lie to your brain.

Let me tell you how I used this trick this past year. I have a teen-age boy, and for those of you who have teen-agers, that is probably all I need to say. For those who don’t, let me explain.

Teenagers, and especially boys, go temporarily insane for awhile. You do not recognize this person as the same child you raised.

This period of insanity could last anywhere from a year to a few years. It is a very frustrating time for parent and child, and it can be very difficult to remember that you love this person, and really difficult to remember that sometimes you even liked this person.

So your attitude becomes one of wacko-parent and you find yourself saying and doing things you never expected to say or do.

Enter, attitude change.

I went through my photo album, and picked out pictures of my son with me, with my husband, and by himself. All the pictures were of happy times.

I took some of the pictures and put them on the visor in my van so I would see them when I pulled it down. One picture, in which he looked especially cute, I put on my bedroom dresser. I distributed these pictures throughout my world—my office, the kitchen, the laundry room, and in my organizer.

Throughout my day, I would be reminded of how much I cared about him, and many times I found myself smiling at the picture.

I still got frustrated, but something about my attitude changed. I became more patient, and in turn, he seemed more reasonable.

He is a great kid and we have survived, but I know this "tricking of the brain" was what I needed to do. My brain needed to remember and tell me that I loved him still.

You can use this idea in many ways.

Write out statements describing the result you want, as if you already have it. Put this in front of you and read it over and over during the day.

Use my idea of a photograph or make a drawing to make you think in a different way. It doesn’t matter if you believe this stuff right away—it matters that you keep showing and telling your brain something different than the negative messages it has been receiving.

Perhaps you can post a picture of clothing you are going to be able to wear when you reach your weight loss goal.

Act as if a situation is going exactly how you want it to go. Think of your goals as already achieved, and let yourself feel the happy emotions that accompany that success.

Write out a statement telling yourself how happy you are with the results. Look at this statement everyday.

Your brain will start feeling the emotions, and your experiences may begin to feel different to you.

Let your brain start working for you, instead of against you. What a powerful comrade to have on your side!

" …Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me." -Charles R. Swindoll

© 2010 Diana Fletcher