The importance of being primed to spot symbols and metaphors in your daily life

Home » The importance of being primed to spot symbols and metaphors in your daily life Published: 26th November 2018 This Article was Written by: Nik - Weight Loss Ninja

If you have already been through the course, you may remember the module we filmed in Greece on the subject of symbols and metaphors.

In that module we discussed how I was sitting reading a book, when I looked up at the beautiful scenery sprawling out in front of me. I was sitting beside the swimming pool and spotted a rubber ring. Within a split second the ring had triggered a thought (and an emotion). Losing weight was for me in one sense, a life-saver. A life-saver in so far as my weight may well have caused me medical complications as I grew older.

Seeing symbols and metaphors every day

I constantly spot symbols, people and objects every day that trigger such positive thoughts. I may see someone jogging by the side of the road who is overweight, and my heart goes out to them as I think to myself “Well done for taking action”. I recall my own journey in that moment and empathise with them. I may have a banner pop up on a website for an article of clothing that catches my eye and then I find myself thinking “Yes, I can now fit into that shirt”. I now see junk food adverts on billboards and they fill me full of sadness. I know how addictive such food used to be to me, and how food like that ravaged my life back then.

Whilst those are literal reminders connected in some way to my own journey, equally I spotted a powerful metaphor the other day. It was a tiny piece of white plastic that took a particular form and made a particular shape.

We see symbols and metaphors every day that, (if we allow them to do so), trigger thoughts and emotions and have meaning to us.

I have got a new habit

I was in the gym last night as I now enjoy the gym. It is a new habit. (Look out for the future blog on how I created this new habit, coming in the next few weeks).

I was on the cross-trainer. The music was pumping loud through my headphones and I was hammering the pedals of the cross-trainer in time with the beat of the track. Things felt good as I checked my heart rate – 145 – I was in ‘the zone’. I was hot and as I had already been in the gym for a while, my energy reserves were pretty depleted. I could feel myself starting to get tired.

“Come on, let’s do this” I said to myself. That worked as I got a spike of mental energy and I found myself digging deeper into my energy reserves and powered on. A short while later I started to feel tired. “What else can I use to keep my mind focussed on getting me to the end of this session?”

As I looked up from the display of the cross-trainer, I spotted something I had seen many times before but never really ‘seen’ it. My eyes fell on this wonderful symbol printed on the wall of the gym, this one little piece of white plastic stuck onto the blue wall of the gym. All of a sudden the fuel injectors inside of my body directed all the remaining energy I had left into my legs, and I pushed on until the end of the 20 minute session on the cross-trainer (Wow, not only did I feel physically good once I had finished, but also great mentally, having just burned over 300 calories in the process).

This was the symbol circled in red below:

The power of the heart

As I looked up, this tiny piece of white plastic resonated with me. It reminded me of the main reason why I wanted to lose weight. I wanted to lose it so that I could be there for my family as I grew older. I did not want to be that ageing father and husband who fell into poor health because of his weight. I wanted to live a longer, healthier, more active life so that I could enjoy the years I have left on this planet with my nearest and dearest. At the heart of the all this was just that, my heart. As I continue to maintain my current weight, I am now focussed on my health. Nothing symbolises good health for me more than a healthy heart.

I had been on that same cross trainer multiple times since I started hitting the gym two weeks ago. I had previously spotted this same piece of plastic, but only last night did it connect with me in a deeper and more meaningful way.

Once you ‘connect’ with a symbol, you start to see it everywhere

I stayed on at the gym for a further 45 minutes and what was remarkable was that it took on a different meaning to me. I started to notice all the other graphics that they have on the gym walls. More hearts, more empowering messages, and each one spoke to me in a different way.

The gym now has a slightly deeper meaning to me every time I visit. From now on I will spot that heart and it will remind me of why I am there. It will remind me of my purpose in life. Going to the gym is a small piece in the overall jigsaw that makes up the life I now want.

One full of happiness; health; fitness, and long-living as I grow older with my family.

Take away learning.
What symbols can you encounter today? Life is busy and, for most of us life seems to be in control of us, not the other way around. Stop, take in what that symbol means to you, and why it is important, you will start to see that symbol everywhere.

That is perfect because every time you spot the same symbol, it will help to act as a constant little reminder. It will be a continual little nudge of motivation helping you to better connect with why you are doing what you are doing, and why you are losing weight in the first place.