Jillian Michaels, the trainer in the American version of The Biggest Loser, says in this feature article from Success Magazine:
Underneath every self-destructive behavior is a self-esteem issue. Period. End of conversation. Those are symptoms of a deeper problem, and understanding the root of your self-esteem issues will help you rectify that symptom. Obesity is never because somebody wanted an extra margarita on their vacation. It's about some sort of, 'I was never good enough,' 'I was never worthy,' 'I'm afraid that if I do embrace life, I won't have the ability to achieve or succeed.' And until you get to the root of the problem, you'll never be able to remedy the symptom. That's why self-exploration and self-awareness is a critical first step when it comes to achieving any goal.
It's not just personal trainers either. It's professional organisers as well. I've seen a few episodes of Neat TV, where Canadian professional organiser Hellen Bettegieg steps into someone's home to get it into order. It's never just about the stuff or the clutter. The underlying issue causing the clutter always comes out e.g. "We lost everything in our last home in a fire and now we're holding to everything we've got in case we lose it all again" or "I really like having my kids close to me and that's why the air hockey table, the tv, the computer, the treadmill are all in the master bedroom".
I don't know if this applies to everyone, but definitely for some, decluttering will uncover underlying issues (I know it did for me).
My point is this: what seems to be the initial problem (obesity, clutter, whatever) might actually be sign of a deeper issue that is causing it. It does make me wonder: we all know about the sex scandal a famous golfer is currently embroiled in, but what is the deeper issue that is causing it?
Self exploration and self awareness are as you say essential qualities in trying to assess our motivating forces and then seeking to make the necessary corrections
ReplyDeleteI suspect our Prayer life is also an essential indicator of the healthiness of our Christian walk.Obviously frequency is important but who and what we pray for can tell us a great deal about ourselves.Do we really treasure our friendship with God and are we really dependent upon Him,do we really care about people,and which people, enough to pray for them, and so on.
Surely for a Christian not to be a thoughtful prayer we would have to be the Biggest Loser.
Here endeth the sermon!!!!!!!