In his work around the world, Lou Tice employed a series of guiding principles to help individuals and organizations understand the inner workings of the human mind. Working with high performers from industry to sports, one of the things he made sure everyone understood one very specific principle before any change process can work.

It is simply this: All meaningful and lasting change starts on the inside and then works its way out.  

In other words, we think ourselves into behaving. If you don't change the picture in your head before you start to change anything else about yourself, you will have a tendency to slip back to the old picture, the old you. That's what happens, for example, if you force yourself to lose weight without first changing your inner picture. If you continue to see yourself as overweight in your mind's eye, you'll start to gain the weight back as soon as you take it off.  

It is also why, if your dominant picture of yourself is as a smoker, and you try to quit, you'll have a strong tendency to relapse once you relax the intense control it takes to stop in the first place.  This same lack of a new, dominant picture is why most, if not all, New Year's Resolutions are doomed to failure.

Human beings are picture-oriented. It's a simple fact and becomes an effective tool when we go to make changes in our behaviors. Affirmations and visualizations are an excellent way to change your internal pictures and make sure that new behavior lasts. They help you create your reality from the inside out, which is the absolute best way to do it.