Valerie or Kirstie?

Middle-aged men around the country who had crushes on pixie-cute Valerie Bertinelli in their youth mourned when they learned that alas, she was human and gained not just a rock star husband but weight as she grew older.

I personally felt a bit of secret glee when I first saw her on the Jenny Craig commercials. I mean, come on. Absolutely adorable as a teen, in a hit TV show, marries a rock star, has a terrific son. Every guy I knew in high school had a crush on her. By secret glee I mean walking around home and office saying, "Hey! Valerie Bertinelli is fat!" "Did you see her picture? She's FAAAT." I really liked that when I held her picture up it hid a little bit of my fat.

Then last week I saw her bikini picture. Now it's my turn to mourn. She's baaack. Gorgeous, buff, and happy with life even without the rock star husband. She's modeling on a surf board and I want to hide behind it.

Worst of all, Kirstie Alley, the woman who got Valerie on board with losing weight, admitted yesterday on Oprah that she put on all the weight she had lost and more. Kirstie took to her bed for 24 hours after seeing the newest pics of Valerie's blazin' bod. I feel like doing the same, but sadly I don't have any servants who will fetch me french fries and soda while I mourn.

Now, I have a choice. Do I want to be Valerie or Kirstie? The difference between the two is that Valerie kept working. Kirstie moved her workout equipment out of her home into her garage and never looked at it again. Valerie kept working. Kirstie stopped counting calories and began to eat what she wanted, not what her body wanted. Valerie kept working.

So, which do I choose? Fit or Fat? Which do you choose? Valerie's way sounds like a lot of work to me. Chocolate helps me think. I think I'll work my way over to the fridge and get some chocolate to help me think. Note to self: How many calories are burned off by walking from the computer to the fridge? Perhaps skipping over would help my calorie-burning count for the day. Ingenuous!

STRATEY #3: Find people who motivate you and copy what they do. Who inspires you? Valerie is certainly an inspiration. But what about somebody who motivates you for the way they live their life? For how they show up in this world? On a poster board or in a notebook, put in pictures of people who motivate you. What do they do that you want to? Be a copy cat. Live "as if" you are that person. It's fun and it opens to you the possibility that you can indeed life a rich life, even if you haven't married a rock star.

AFFIRMATION #3: Today I am inspired to live my best life.

Affirmations are a powerful way to create what you want in your life. It's not enough to just say the affirmation, you've got to feel it. Feel the excitement, the joy, the passion as you are creating the life you want to live. Say this affirmation out loud until you feel its truth. Shout it until the neighbors think you are crazy. Say it while dancing around the living room. It's your life. Live out loud!