In athletics and in business, performance is measured by one thing…results. That means wins and losses in athletics and bottom-line profits in business. Interestingly, studies have shown that the most successful and sustainable sports programs and businesses work from a process over results perspective. For them, WIN stands for What’s Important Now, and what is always most important is focusing on what you can control and letting go of what you cannot….that is the process. They do not focus on what they cannot control.

In Brian Cain’s The 12 Pillars of Peak Performance, three keys are identified:

1) You must be in control of yourself before you can control your performance.

2) You have very little control of what goes on around you, but total control of how you choose to respond.

3) Your goal must be in your control.

After the holidays, recommitting to healthy eating and activity is the agenda for many of us. We will be cleaning cupboards and fridges and even looking at gyms and other activities available. Perhaps the most important preparation we will be making is the mental preparation required to develop the mindset of the weight-loss equation. Let’s make the process required to produce the desired results so much a part of who we are that it actually becomes how we think about what we are doing. I believe that in developing such an ingrained process, and combining it with a focused and consistent effort, winning at losing will be a natural by-product.

What about this weight-loss equation can you control, and are you doing all you can to control it? Are you focusing, not just on the weight on the scales, but on your choices as to what and why to eat or whether or not to get moving? In truth, you only have control over one of these─ your choice or response. Prepare your response ahead of time so you are ready when stuff happens. This will have a positive influence on the outcome of the scales!