Motivation

                  Recently, I had a visit with one of my relatives and I tried to talk about the changes I’ve made in my life and how much better I feel. She was happy for me, but stated that reading about things like that are of no interest to her. At first I thought she must be crazy not to have a desire to better herself. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that I’m the crazy one. Actually, I’ve known about being weird for a number of years, but I haven’t gone through the five steps of the grieving process yet.

         The truth is, until I was diagnosed as diabetic, I enjoyed reading about healthy living, but didn’t put any of it into action. I suppose it’s similar to being an armchair quarterback. I know the players; eating right and exercise. I’m familiar with the plays; avoid carbohydrates and eat lots of non-starchy vegetables. The problem is I wasn’t motivated enough to even try out for the team. I guess I just wanted to buy the shirt and watch the games on TV while lounging on the couch with nachos and a Mt. Dew.

         So, how do you get motivated when you don’t want to? I suggest getting diabetes and being threatened with death. It worked for me. Unfortunately, most people don’t want to die, which is rather ironic if you think about it. Why do we wait until it’s almost too late before we take action with our health? Why are we motivated by tragedy when common sense tells us to prevent it in the first place? I’m reminded of the scout motto; Be Prepared. If we would only prepare for middle age, we’d all be in better shape and happier.

         Sometimes I feel like the whole health thing caught me by surprise. You know, “Surprise! You’ve been putting on weight for twenty years and now you’re fat!” Well, I may be caught in the grieving steps again. Denial seems to be my favorite step and I know it’s only the first. I’m hoping I can skip the middle ones and get right to Acceptance. As far as my health goes, I think I have. Being “crazy” is just going to have to wait for a while until I get this health thing taken care of.

         Stop being an armchair quarterback and at least go for a walk. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.