Health & Fitness
A Short But Tough Question: What's Your 'Why?"
When you have decided why you're setting the goals you have set, and it's something so important failure isn't an option, keeping that "why" front and center guarantees your success!
It's 5 a.m., and you're working out. It's 2 a.m. and you're studying. Or you're sitting at your desk wasting time and miserable.
The difference? Your "why."
Why are some people able to rock it at work, or stick to an exercise program, or love their job? How are some people such high acheivers?
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In my experience, people who do best are people who have clearly identified their "why" and are able to have that in the forefront of their mind all the time.
What am I talking about with this "why?" It's what motivates you. It's what makes you tick. It's how you push past the walls and barriers and reach new heights.
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My mom has always struggled with her weight. Most of the time, she's a good 30 to 50 lbs overweight and very out of shape. But every now and again there's a wedding, an anniversary, a graduation- and she'll lose the weight. She starts a few months before the event, and – to her credit – has always been able to whittle down her weight in time for the big day.
How? She has a clearly defined goal that's important to her. The problem with this of course is that after the wedding, when faced with the choice "will I work out or won't I," it's very easy – almost inevitable – to fall off her fitness program.
Recently, there's been a change.
She's now the foster mom of a beautiful baby girl with special needs. She found out about four or five months before she got the baby, and it was a different ball game. She worked out harder than she ever had before. She made healthy choices with her diet, not starving herself to fit into a dress, but giving her body the fuel it needed to be healthier and stronger.
She lost 50 pounds and has kept it off. She continues to make healthy choices, and work hard to be healthier.
Her WHY is more important than it has ever been. She's more motivated than ever. Failure was never an option.
When you determine your "why," and when it's something that's so important to you that success is the only acceptable option, it's a guarantee you'll reach your goals. You won't settle for anything less.
Think today about your "why." Take a picture, write it down, carry it with you, put it on your dashboard.
Once you have the right "why," you've already decided all you can be is a success.
