Lesson: Elephants + Ropes = Less Eating Woes & Foes
A heartfelt welcome from Jenn, founder of Embodhied
Welcome, welcome, welcome! I am so honored to be the very first person to welcome you to our community. Instead of chit chatting about me, which seems to be the customary introductory spiel, let’s vibe about you & elephants. Of course, you’re more than welcome to get to know me better on the Meet Jenn page of this site, upcoming blog posts and coaching events. In fact I hope you will. For now, let’s focus on the majestic elephant.
To be honest with you, I myself never stopped to consider the connection between our beloved Dumbo and who we are as eaters until a couple of weeks ago. See, I was listening to one of my meditation teachers explain a technique used to hold elephants captive in the circus. At the risk of sounding like a Debbie-downer, it's that important a topic to share with you. I promise there's a light at the end of this story.
Did you know, an elephant never forgets?
Like us, elephants are intelligent, social and family oriented. They can also be conditioned at a young age to adopt limiting beliefs about their size, strength and capabilities. No matter how unreliable these beliefs, they can easily lose faith in themselves and abandon their most cherished wish. All it takes is a seemingly insignificant rope. I don't know about you, but I can't get past the imagery of an adult elephant, in all its glory, held captive by a flimsy rope. Think about it, with the slightest nudge, softest sneeze or meekest shot of the stink eye the elephant could be free. So why not even try?
Here's why. The elephant stays tethered because when introduced to the rope at a young age, it’s too weak, ill-equipped or just not ready to break free. After a few failed attempts the elephant adopts the limiting belief that it’s stuck forever. Yes, forever and ever. Let’s face it, like many of us, the elephant doesn’t want to waste the time or energy on potential defeat. Instead, it resigns to accept its falsely assumed fate (go ahead, hum a few bars of doomsday music).
Can I ask you a personal question?
Yeah, I'm going to get all up in your beeswax because you're the expert on this part. Similar to the rope keeping the elephant captive, what outdated or toxic beliefs are holding you back? They could be things you’ve personally experienced, witnessed or been told by others. Now, it's OK if you have to put on your thinking cap. Self-limiting beliefs can be tricky to identify. They’re often so deeply ingrained in who you are that you may not realize they exist or where you picked them up.
Now let’s take one of those beliefs and shift our focus to the knot in the elephant’s rope. Unlike that knot which may loosen over time, has yours gotten tighter or maybe even multiplied? And I mean your N-O-T-S: not good enough, not thin enough, not perfect enough, not….. enough. It’s likely you’re very tuned into your nots. In fact, they probably replay on your internal radio station of 60k-90k thoughts per day. Yes, that many.
See the mere existence of your beliefs and nots, like the elephant’s rope, can keep you tied up to the point of giving up. Imagine what life would feel like if you could quiet that self-talk, reset your beliefs, and reclaim your power.
Good News! We're human and forget lots!
Bet you didn't see that pick-me-up coming your way. The reality is, we can 'forget', or at least reframe our experience to chart a new course. Getting started on this path is actually quite easy (more good news). All it takes is curiosity and suspended judgement. For example, what if I told you that your body is doing you a favor, although it doesn’t necessarily feel like it, by putting digestive symptoms in your way? Yes, I really did just say that. In fact, symptoms like unwanted weight, eating habits and digestive dis-ease are desperately trying to get your attention and ask you to untie your rope. So instead of hating on those symptoms, can you get curious about them? Welcome them with open arms, get to know them, and listen to what they’re trying to tell you?
Can I get a fist bump?
In neuroscience there’s a phrase, ‘name it to tame it’. Together, we can name your limiting beliefs and tame your digestive symptoms (are we on a good news roll, or what?). Now I’d love to hear what you're thinking. What's the limiting belief you chose and how do you think it's been holding you back? Share in the comments below, and remember, you might just be the inspiration someone was looking for today. Yes, you!
Ready to untie your rope? Jump on a free Clarity Call in July to really get things going. If you don't have the exclusive free code yet, all you have to do is join our mailing list. Thanks for getting curious. Let's talk soon.
