My dog, Hazel, and I went to Walmart recently. I only needed to grab FOUR things:

– Eggs for Hazel

– Sardines for Hazel

– A small, clear plastic storage container for my earrings

– Mr. Clean

It was almost time for meal two, and as I walked around the store I started saying to myself, “Well, it’s coming up on meal two. I should just get something here.”

I had food prepped and ready at home.

The walk to get home with my groceries was just 10 minutes.

Yet I walked around Walmart with this inner battle going on the whole time, fighting not to talk myself into grabbing a rotisserie chicken.

Nothing wrong with a rotisserie chicken. It’s a great option for Rebels.

But that’s not the point!

The point is that I had my pre-planned, prepped food – including baked chicken – waiting for me at home.

I didn’t need to pay $6.00 for a rotisserie chicken…or a bag of pork rinds…or sunflower seeds. I didn’t need any of them!

I made it out of the store without buying the stupid chicken (haha), got home with Hazel, and ate my pre-planned, prepped meal. I was fine.

But sheesh! Why is it our minds try to talk us into things we know we don’t NEED??

If I knew how to make that internal chatter stop forever, I could retire Code Red, because everyone would be able to effortlessly stay on track, get their weight off, and keep it off.

So while I don’t know why our minds play tricks on us…

I do know that it’s exhausting.

I do know that there are times when you’ll need to fight that battle alone.

AND I do know that the more you can lean on the strength of others, so you don’t have to fight the battle alone, the better off you’ll be…especially at first.

It’s why I constantly tell you to get and STAY connected.

Getting connected is not a one and done thing if you wanna keep your success, because the internal battle is not a one and done thing. Not while you’re still alive on this planet.

That’s why my #1 tip for winning that battle in your mind is to get and STAY connected so you have ongoing support. Ongoing allies. Ongoing strength you can lean on when you feel weak.

(Plus, you get to be strong for others if they need encouragement, which is really motivating.)

Ideally, yes, you’d have such a big mindset shift that you wouldn’t “need” other people to be strong for you.

And over time, when you work on your mindset, it’s possible for that to happen.

But for most people, it takes a lot longer than they think it should.

Work on your mindset, AND stay connected.

Get the best of both worlds, so that when that battle tries to rage in your mind again, you have some allies to help you win it!