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June 16, 2003 Okay, so you know the drill, I have changed my eating habits and am incorporating exercise into my day. Its not the easiest thing in the world either because I am great at visualizing what Im going to do, but often I find myself looking for ways to get out of it!! Lately I have incorporated walking in the morning after my little guy gets on his bus. I walk with another lady who is a mother and we get along great! It sure passes the time and doesnt feel quite so much like exercise when we get to chatting and walk together. A couple of mornings it has even rained and normally I wouldnt be caught dead out walking in the rain just for exercise, but I dont seem to mind it anymore, it is actually kind of nice. Now I also know from past experience that I am great for starting out by working out for weeks only to decide after all that it feels better to sit and wait for the feeling to go away and also I love coming up with excuses to get myself out of something. But what I am really working on at the moment is motivation! Without motivation or an incentive I think I would be a big couch potato and never try something new. As a mother I am motivated to try and be a good role model, cook healthy, take better care of myself so he will see the importance of being good to oneself and I know that by my self esteem raising he will learn to have a good one too! As a partner I am motivated to try and direct my anger or down moods to something else instead of taking it out on him. Which is easy to do sometimes, but we are finding ways to talk about our issues rather than scream them at each other. I am motivated to be respectful of others points of view even if I dont share them. If we all thought the same then there wouldnt be anything to debate about and man how boring! Making a lifestyle change I need to stay motivated to make the healthy choices in food, check the labels for the amount of carbs and sodium that is hidden in a food. I am motivated to cook for my family, to get them to make better choices, but also to allow them their treats every now and then. I need to stay motivated in working out, putting myself as a priority which for me is still something new that I have to work on. As a writer I need to stay motivated even when those rejection slips are coming in. Also to continue trying new genres and styles of writing, never letting myself fall into one particular area. I am motivated by my love to share words and let others know they arent alone in life, to feel lonely is never a good thing though many will say it is the human condition. I remember as a teenager I wasnt very motivated unless there was some great reward dangling before my face. Well, weekends were a great motivator but other than that I didnt extend myself too much if I didnt have to. I did get good grades, motivated by the fact that I earned money for each good mark. My attendance was excellent, motivated by the fact that I earned money at the end of the year for each day in school. Incidentally three years straight I didnt miss a day of school, and wow did I ever get paid a lot of money! Now as an adult there doesnt seem to be much of a reward with getting a paycheck, not with all the bills and the high cost of living, it seems we work and work and rarely get much out of it other than a headache, no time, and little rest. Even the incentive of the weekend doesnt work for everyone, not if you work overtime or are filling in for someone else. There arent enough paid holidays in a year either! I have found myself lacking in motivation this year has a lot to do with the weather. Five months of winter just about kept me in a depressed state of mind. I dreaded piling layers and layers of clothing on just so I could go check the mail. I also got tired of falling on my behind because the ground was so slick. Spring really hasnt sprung much here either and here it is the middle of June and I cant say there has been much sun. Sure we get it here and there but there still hasnt been a full week where its just been beautiful. I watch my sweetheart get up in the morning and dread going to work because there arent enough people, the company wont hire, the projects are behind, he may have to work overtime, and he is tired of the way things are going. I know he doesnt make anywhere near what he is worth and I know they are taking advantage of him, but where we live there isnt much in the way of choices. I feel bad because he is out there working hard with little incentive or motivation to fuel him to find something good about his job. The paycheck is still going to all the bills and things that have piled up over the past year. While I do my best to cheer him up at home, I know he is slowly giving way to work depression. Many jobs fail to realize the importance of motivating your workers and keeping a good morale in tact. Bosses overwork people, try to save the company money, and its the hardest working individuals who suffer the most. Praise is rarely given and often times the only way someone hears a word from the upper management is when theyve done something wrong. Personally I loved grade school when the teacher handed out smiley faces and stickers for a job well done. Nothing has ever made me feel as good as when I received those, or the little colored stars, it made me feel good and kept me going, striving, wanting more and more of those rewards. It seems like such a harmless word yet it holds a lot of power and it really makes a difference on how we feel for the day. So maybe today at work or with your kids or spouse, if you could take a second and tell them how much they are appreciated, valued, and loved they just might take that inwards and feel good and it will make you feel good too. Positive vibes and messages are great to motivate your spirit and soul and soon puts a smile on your face. Unlock those frowns with a little good cheer and motivation, it is the key to happiness. ------------ About the author: Nancy Jackson is a full time author and poet with works in Literati, Twilight Times, Anotherealm, Sonny World, and various anthologies. Her pasttimes include spending time with her loved ones, drinking wine, and lots of writing! Email Nancy Jackson: coryann93@yahoo.com Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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