Optimism Can Kill

Everyone tells you to look at the half full glass and not the half empty one, right? Be optimistic!

Always hope for better and it will come true. IN many instances this is good advice but there is one type of optimism that can actually kill you.

I call it the optimism of denial. Let me explain through Tammy's story. Tammy came to me for consultation as she felt she was terribly addicted to sugar. In the months before she came to me her sugar consumption was out of control and she had gained a lot of weight. Tammy was worried because she has diabetes and high blood pressure and she knew that in order to get her health back on track she must change her eating habits. Tammy was 60, a divorcee with an active social life.

Tammy is a sweet woman, friendly and always has a positive attitude. It'll be okay in the end, she would often repeat. But here's the thing – she kept wishing for it to be okay in the end but did not really do anything different. For example, Tammy lives alone. I suggested to her to remove from her house all her "kryptonites", the sugar starchy hyperprocessed foods that tempt her when she is home and feeling a little lonely. She did not do this. I suggested she bring a fruit platter to her friends instead of baking cakes for them – she did not do this either. Unfortunately for Tammy, nothing changed because she changed nothing. But she always ended every conversation with – it'll be okay in the end.

This is the type of optimism that can kill. It actually may not be okay in the end. One visit to a dialysis center where diabetics who have lost kidney function need to filter their blood is proof enough that we cannot wish ourselves to health. Wanting to change isn't enough. We must BE THE CHANGE. Of course, we all want to be well, to be healthy and to do "the right thing", but if you want things to be different, better, you must TAKE ACTION. Wishing and wanting will get you nowhere. Tony Robbins calls it "Massive Action". When it comes to limiting or eliminating harmful foods and eating nutritious and healthy foods, "massive action" does not mean doing one big thing. It means taking many many small steps towards change in eating habits AND in your mindset around food. Massive Action means building a new and healthy relationship with food. Massive action is the daily repeated tasks to make sure you put your needs first and it all starts with the food.

Take action, BE THE CHANGE. Yes, there IS light at the end of the tunnel and to get there one must actually move in the direction of the light. Then you have every reason to be optimistic.