Believing things can get better will change your life

By Kelly Clark / Carry On

Believing things can get better changed everything
It’s easier than you think to believe in yourself
EVERYBODY needs to hear Courtney Ferrell’s message

For me, a HUGE part of losing weight and getting healthy, was that I truly, deeply, right-down-to-my-bones BELIEVED things could get better.

Like no matter how bad things got, I was convinced tomorrow could be different.

This outlook kept me getting up in the morning, looking for answers and patch-working a solution.

I adopted this can-do attitude from 2 of my childhood heroes… both red heads who were orphans named Anne.

Annie from the movie Annie (!) sings:

…When I’m stuck in a day, that’s gray and lonely,
I just stick out my chin and grin, and say,
Oh… The sun’ll come out tomorrow…
-Song, Tomorrow

And in Anne of Green Gables Miss Stacey tells Anne Shirley:

“Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it.”

Trusting life can transform is a story we’re told again and again, starting at a young age.

Think of The Ugly Duckling, Cinderella and my favourite movie in grade 9, Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts.

Academics say every story line fits into one of these 7 plots:

1. Overcoming the monster
2. Rags to riches
3. The quest
4. Voyage and return
5. Rebirth
6. Comedy
7. Tragedy

And when you think about it, the first 5 are all about believing things can get better.

Why is this theme so common?!

…Because the idea that our suffering is only temporary keeps us moving forward. And moving forward helps us figure out how to fix our situation.

Believing things can get better got me asking for help

By my first year of university I realized I had a pretty serious problem.

So I took myself down to the student medical center and made an appointment.

Asking for help was my first big turning point.

I learned so much from my doctor, including that I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Then in 2nd year I confided in someone I trusted, who got me back on the campus meal plan. This set up created a structured eating routine. Eating 3 ROUGHLY balanced meals made of MOSTLY natural food was another important part of “overcoming the monster”… as they say.

Believing things could get better encouraged me to look for answers

Then in 3rd year, 4th year and teacher’s college, more and more pieces came together.

Each year, I collected new information that helped me stop dieting, lose weight and fully recover.

…But I only got this vital support because I was still in the game. All the resources, ideas and advice I gathered, would never have come into my life if I’d stayed home under the duvet.

It was believing things can get better that got me up in the morning and trying again.

There were lots of ups and downs and trial and error, but after 10 years of searching, I found everything I needed to know to get healthy. And not only healthy…

As my friend Val (who’s super special and I LOVE) said at a recent She Recovers meeting:

Believing things can get better invites magic into your life

Over my 10 year struggle there were also so many little things that kept me going.

…Little things I noticed because I kept my chin up.

Like something I’d see in a magazine (I loooved the Nikey JUST DO IT ads).
You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude.— Eleanor Roosevelt, activistA short poem painted on the side of a building.
A hand-written card from a friend’s mom.
A genuine smile from a stranger.
Or something (spectacular!) someone said that you think about for ages afterwards.

These out-of-the-blue ideas and connections cheer-leaded me along.

Believing things can get better attracts life-changing ideas

(This Buddha quote was on a mug we found on a dog walk.)
What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.— Buddha
So I wanted to tell you about something.

Something that will keep you moving forward and searching for solutions.

And that is…

Believing things can get better begins when you believe in yourself

Believing in yourself is NOT about thinking you’re amaaazing (!)

Or knowing everything.

Or being the loudest person in a room.

Believing in yourself happens when you believe in the choices you make, KNOWING that when you stay true to yourself your decisions will lead you where you need to go.

It may not be where you thought you were going…
And it may take a while to get “there”…
But it will be exactly where you’re meant to arrive.

Many important things in my life have turned out different than I planned. But BETTER than I could’ve planned!

So instead of feeling overwhelmed about where you think you should be, get peace of mind by taking this ONE STEP that will transform your life:

Make your next choice one you feel good about.

Believing things can get better… believing things can be spectacular… starts when you believe in each decision you make.

You won’t always get it right

I thought drinking diet pop and eating rice cakes were a healthy choice for years—in reality they make you GAIN weight.
I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.— Serena Williams, (a d*mn good) tennis player
But just trying your best and trying your best again, keeps you moving forward and finding answers.

No matter how lost I felt over those 10 difficult years, I KNEW I’d find a way out.

And that belief kept me going.

You really can get healthy and live an extraordinary life

It’s never too late and all you’ve been through will enrich everything else you experience.

As the ugly-duckling-turned-swan realizes at the end of the story:

He now felt glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble, because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure and happiness around…
— Hans Christian Andersen

Make Today Count

Believing things can get better begins by making choices you believe in.

Make your next choice TODAY one you feel good about.

Build healthy eating and exercise habits. A healthy weight will follow.

Next Steps

We need you to become the oak tree you BELIEVE you can be. (You’ll understand after pressing PLAY on the extraordinary Ted Talk that follows):

Courtney Ferrel’s voice, look and body language remind me so much of someone else I love… Gilda Radner.

Got any acorns in your life who need a little magic to keep them believing things can get better? Help them continue to look for solutions to the challenges they face by sharing this post.

Learn from my 10 years of mistakes! You CAN stop dieting obsessively and become who you want to be… inside & out. Sign up below and learn INSTANTLY how to fix the BIGGEST weight-loss mistake.

What’s your favourite quote or saying that keeps you going? Leave it in the comments below!