“Cristy, I cannot afford a custom program.”

That’s a statement I get once in a while about my custom programs (which pay for themselves retroactively simply by how much your grocery bill goes down).

I have a lot of responses for that line, and here’s one them:

There are two phrases you will NEVER hear me say again:

“I can’t afford it.”

“I don’t have the time.”

And here’s why.

I grew up poor, and up until the last few years, I had a real scarcity, “can’t afford it,” “there’s never enough” mindset, because that’s what I heard constantly my entire childhood.

And big surprise, I also struggled financially, for decades – not because I wasn’t a hard worker, but because I had the mentality of a poor person.

It was only after I shed that mentality that I could start creating MY version of financial success for myself.

Seriously, running around saying “I can’t afford it” feels incredibly disempowering. If you don’t believe me, say it out loud right now and notice how it makes you feel. Pretty crappy and helpless, right?

Now say “I’m choosing not to buy this right now,” and see how THAT makes you feel.

There’s a real difference, isn’t there?

Same with having enough time. We make time for what’s important to us. 

So instead of saying you “don’t have time,” either find a way to make time, or accept it’s not enough of a priority, and get on with life. There’s no need to beat yourself up.

Same deal when you’re making choices about what to eat.

Meaning, if you run around saying “I can’t have XYZ food,” you’re gonna feel deprived and restricted…

But if, instead, you say, “I can have that, but I choose not to,” you’re stepping into your own power and owning your choices, instead of using that helpless “I can’t” thinking.

And going back to affording stuff, or making time for things, here’s what I say instead:

For buying decisions, if I’m not gonna spend money on it, I say, “I’m choosing not to buy this right now.” 

For time, I say, “I’m choosing not to make time for this” (or “how can I make time for this?”).

Ditch the phrase “I can’t.”

Erase it from your vocabulary, and replace it with “I choose.”

Because the reality is, the more we tell ourselves we’re helpless to change our lives, the more true it becomes. We even sabotage ourselves if we do try to change, often without realizing it.

Doing things like getting your weight off starts with owning your choices.

By owning, I do NOT mean beating yourself up over them.

I’m talking about taking responsibility for them.

It may not be as sexy as the latest “secret diet used by Hollywood celebrities to drop 850,000 pounds overnight”…

But it will bring you LONG-TERM success…both in weight loss and in life.