on and patience. In “Mona Lisa Smile”, she shows loyalty to her values and courage. In “Runaway Bride” she corrects her self-sabotaging patterns with men. And in “Notting Hill” she follows her heart. Tracy’s list of three top qualities was: loyalty to her values, patience and courage.

How would you like Julia Roberts to coach you on how to lose weight and have the body you want?

In my practice as a psychotherapist and life improvement mentor, I teach my clients how their favorite movie stars can become their personal success coaches, in five simple steps. You can try the same steps to change your life. All you need are your favorite movies and the desire to succeed. Here’s how:

1. Identify three top qualities you love in a movie character. Why do you love a movie character? Is it only because of the looks or because of certain qualities this character portrays in movies? This step asks you to identify these character qualities, name them, and write them down. Make a list of the three most important qualities.

This is how my client Tracy applied this step to win her weight-loss battle. Tracy had a fixation on Julia Roberts because of the actor’s thin looks. But after I asked Tracy a few questions, she realized that she liked Julia Roberts because the characters she portrays in movies show remarkable qualities that Tracy desired for herself. In “Erin Brockovich”, Julia Robert’s character shows determination and patience. In “Mona Lisa Smile”, she shows loyalty to her values and courage. In “Runaway Bride” she corrects her self-sabotaging patterns with men. And in “Notting Hill” she follows her heart. Tracy’s list of three top qualities was: loyalty to her values, patience and courage.

< try the same steps to change your life. All you need are your favorite movies and the desire to succeed. Here’s how:

1. Identify three top qualities you love in a movie character. Why do you love a movie character? Is it only because of the looks or because of certain qualities this character portrays in movies? This step asks you to identify these character qualities, name them, and write them down. Make a list of the three most important qualities.

This is how my client Tracy applied this step to win her weight-loss battle. Tracy had a fixation on Julia Roberts because of the actor’s thin looks. But after I asked Tracy a few questions, she realized that she liked Julia Roberts because the characters she portrays in movies show remarkable qualities that Tracy desired for herself. In “Erin Brockovich”, Julia Robert’s character shows determination and patience. In “Mona Lisa Smile”, she shows loyalty to her values and courage. In “Runaway Bride” she corrects her self-sabotaging patterns with men. And in “Notting Hill” she follows her heart. Tracy’s list of three top qualities was: loyalty to her values, patience and courage.

s character portrays in movies? This step asks you to identify these character qualities, name them, and write them down. Make a list of the three most important qualities.

This is how my client Tracy applied this step to win her weight-loss battle. Tracy had a fixation on Julia Roberts because of the actor’s thin looks. But after I asked Tracy a few questions, she realized that she liked Julia Roberts because the characters she portrays in movies show remarkable qualities that Tracy desired for herself. In “Erin Brockovich”, Julia Robert’s character shows determination and patience. In “Mona Lisa Smile”, she shows loyalty to her values and courage. In “Runaway Bride” she corrects her self-sabotaging patterns with men. And in “Notting Hill” she follows her heart. Tracy’s list of three top qualities was: loyalty to her values, patience and courage.

rts because of the actor’s thin looks. But after I asked Tracy a few questions, she realized that she liked Julia Roberts because the characters she portrays in movies show remarkable qualities that Tracy desired for herself. In “Erin Brockovich”, Julia Robert’s character shows determination and patience. In “Mona Lisa Smile”, she shows loyalty to her values and courage. In “Runaway Bride” she corrects her self-sabotaging patterns with men. And in “Notting Hill” she follows her heart. Tracy’s list of three top qualities was: loyalty to her values, patience and courage.

on and patience. In “Mona Lisa Smile”, she shows loyalty to her values and courage. In “Runaway Bride” she corrects her self-sabotaging patterns with men. And in “Notting Hill” she follows her heart. Tracy’s list of three top qualities was: loyalty to her values, patience and courage.

2. Identify your most present problem life area. Is it money, your love life, lack of self-motivation, difficulties with your kids? Pick the problem area that is the most present. Now, go to your list of three qualities. You will discover that you are not applying at least two of them. If you do, your problem area will improve quickly.

In this step, Tracy discovered that her most present problem area wasn’t her weight, but communication with her boyfriend. She also realized that she wasn’t applying all three qualities on her list. She didn’t show loyalty to her values or patience with her shortcomings, or courage to follow through with her decisions.

3. Choose one quality and apply it through actions. From your list, pick one quality that you know you can practice with success. Write down one thing you can do to practice this quality with your family, friends, and coworkers. Be consistent and practice this new behavior for a week—by then, you’ll see results.

Tracy chose “loyalty to her values” and decided to practice it by sticking to her choices and not giving into her boyfriend’s opinions. She chose to say “This is how