What if there were a practice that could ensure gratitude nearly every day?
There is. It’s called planning.
I know, it's one more thing to add to your already busy life, but it is incredibly valuable and I've seen the magic of this practice firsthand. It works.
A true story:
My family has Friday night pizza night. I adore pizza and look forward to this all week long. But low carb is tricky; we don't have pre-made low carb options where I live, and I'm certainly not going to be tempted by high-carb alternatives.
I want my food to be fast and simple.
How do I do that if I have to make it from scratch?
I pre-cook low-carb pizza crusts for myself and freeze them for when I need them.
Once per month, on Friday night, I'll make a batch of fathead dough. While this is not the most calorie conscious, it’s quick and works well with my local ingredients. I'll make a single recipe (not doubling it) and split it into 4 personal-pan-pizza-sized crusts. This gives me one to eat at that time and three to freeze for later.
This is perfect because it helps me avoid overeating in the moment, gives me a quick win, and I don't feel deprived.
If I REALLY don't want to make these (because, like most people, I don't particularly like food prep), I remind myself that my future self will thank me for this work.
I do the work once in order to enjoy pizza night with ease for the rest of the month.
Now, here's the trick: When I pull those pre-made frozen crusts out of the freezer, ready to add my toppings and enjoy a quick pizza, I verbally thank my past self for it.
Yes, I say aloud, "Thank you, Lisa! I am so grateful that you prepared these crusts ahead of time! This makes pizza night SO easy!"
Saying this does two things:
1.) I express gratitude for the past work I did, planning ahead, and setting myself up for success.
2.) It reinforces the behavior to do the prep work because I KNOW it will make my life easier in the future AND my future self will be thankful for it.
This is just one example.
You could:
Prep your workout clothes/gear the night before.
Plan your weekly meals and shopping list, then do the shopping, so that there’s no scrambling on a busy weeknight, trying to figure out what’s for dinner.
Make a double recipe of lasagna, or other prep-heavy entree so you can eat one that night and freeze the other in portion-sized containers.
Pre-cook things like low carb bread, waffles, pancakes, bagels so that you can grab and go when needed.
Pre-chop veggies or divide a bag of nuts into portion-controlled packs.
This technique is all about ANTICIPATING your needs and using your time wisely in order to make your future life EASIER and more streamlined.
Planning is not about ruling with an iron fist, it’s about helping you stick to your goals.
Plan the work.
Do it, knowing full well that your future self will thank you for it.
When you're using (or doing) what you've already prepared for, thank yourself for the foresight and preparation, acknowledging that this does make your life easier.
Repeat.
Your future self will thank you for it.
(If you’re in the USA, there are great low carb pizza options such as RealGood frozen pizza available at Walmart, Papa John's pizza bowls, or Blaze Pizza’s keto crust takeout.)
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