Every once in a while I see a post, or a blog or get an email from someone wanting to size up “the competition.” They ask how many might be in their “division,” or exactly what I think it will take in order to win. Like I would know! I was so sure I wasn’t going to win my 2006 end of the year challenge that when I was all done I declared it my last official challenge and tossed away all my notes, and even my copy of my winning entry!

But, I DO KNOW who your biggest opponent is going to be. And she or he is in your division, and they’re in your head, too!  Yes, your biggest opponent in your transformation challenge is going to be the OLD YOU. That’s who you have to beat to be a real winner, the old you that is a quitter, or a liar, or a perfectionist, or a glutton, or any combination of these! My “old you” was a self-pitier. Yes sir, he was willing to give away all the power he had been given by his creator and his circumstances in order to gain the faint hope that someone would see all the pain he was in and feel sorry for him. The horrible thing about any of these character defects I just mentioned is that they are quite common, and they are quite commonly denied by those who have them.

Thinking deeply about these things, and maybe even reviewing some of your past actions will help you figure out if you have issues with quitting, lying to yourself or others, or with perfectionism (which is just another form of quitting because perfectionists never finish anything) or gluttony. And if you do, then write it down, and promise yourself you’ll be willing to filter everything you do through a checklist that says, “Did I lie today?” Or whatever it is that you have issues with. Working on it will change it, and it will change the old you big-time too. You might find other issues cropping up to take its place, but steady, appropriate actions throughout your 12 week journey, along with frank and thorough journaling, will effect some changes you never thought possible.

In the end, your mirror will reflect a NEW YOU, one leaner, tougher, and MORE TRUSTWORTHY than the old you. And at that moment, having defeated your biggest opponent, you will indeed be a winner!