Finding your WHY

When making a change for the better, you MUST have a reason for wanting to make that change. 

Especially if the change is not easy. 

Especially if it takes effort and time.

Especially if you may not see the changes right away.

Your WHY has to be powerful enough to see you through the times when you want to quit. It has to be strong enough to PULL you up when all you want to do is lie down. 

In my journey to losing weight, there have been plenty of times that I don't see results immediately and feel like my efforts are not making any difference. For one who has never really been into "working out" or "dieting", sticking with this has been tough. I have had to learn and relearn different things that work for me (and don't really work for me). WHY do I continue to press on, even through the tough times when I don't "feel" like doing it anymore? 

It is because I decided from the very beginning that I wanted to be a good example for my family to follow. I want to SHOW them that anything is possible with persistence and determination. But more importantly, I want to be healthy for THEM! I want to LIVE to its fullest, and be able to create lively memories for them. I can honestly say that when I was obese, there were MANY things that I couldn't do. I didn't let my weight or physical appearance hold me back from loving myself, who I was, my purpose as a wife and mother, or belief in myself. However, the physical aspects of being obese held me back from being able to do many things. Like walk up the stairs without being out of breath... yeah. That was me. I couldn't run to keep up with my children. In fact, if I had to run to save my life, I would die. Hahaha! I noticed before that I was constantly tired. Energy was hard to come by no matter how much sleep I got. I lacked drive and motivation to do anything productive. Although I never doubted my self worth, I still was disappointed in myself as I would look in the mirror and see someone I wasn't sure I recognized. I wasn't proud of that. I try to teach my daughters to love themselves no matter what, but the truth is, when you aren't doing your best to keep up with your health, there is a sense of disappointment that comes.

This is where my WHY gets even deeper. I look at my oldest daughter who is now 9 years old. You know those tween years when they start to believe the things that others tell them? They see pictures of models and begin to take in the world's definition of what beauty is? It scares me to death thinking about my daughter not loving herself the way I love her. Embracing every aspect of how amazingly wonderful and beautiful she is not matter what she looks like. I want her to KNOW, without a doubt, that her body is something to appreciate. It is a miracle that was given to her and she needs to take care of it. I truly believe that by me being that positive example, she will learn that. By showing her that her health does matter because her body is a miracle that needs to be taken care of, she will learn to appreciate the blessing of health and put forth more conscious effort to treat it properly. 

The same goes for my younger two children as they grow. 

This is a lifestyle change that I am making for them. Not because I want to "look" good or be "skinny". But because I want them to be proud of the accomplishments that we have made together.

I am motivated by the memories we have YET to create. 
I am motivated by the legacy of love I want to leave. 
I am motivated by the fact that taking care of my health NOW, I can live LONGER and have more TIME with loved ones. 

The question now is what motivates you?

More importantly, WHY? 
Why does it even matter?

Once you find that DRIVING FORCE, you are UNSTOPPABLE! 

Posted in: Health, Love, Reason, Strength, Why