One of my goals for the month of March is to read a motivational book.  The book that I have chosen to read is Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to being happy from the inside out by Marci Shimoff.  I highly recommend this book.  There is so much useful, practical information that anyone can use.  It also addresses my personal belief that, while your happiness setpoint might vary based on your genes, you can choose to be happy.  You can actively do things and change your frame of mind and outlook on life to make you a happier person.  There are also many motivational stories to reinforce some of the points in the book.

My “small thing” to do to have a happier life is to wake-up thankful.  One of the shorter stories in the book talked about a guy who thanked the day verbally and out loud when he woke up every morning.  So the small thing that I am doing now is to wake up and say “Thank You” to the day.

I think about my motivation to live a happy, healthy life fairly often. Changes is difficult and requires work; forced effort. But in the end, the payoffs will be worth it, right?

But what is the big payoff? Why do I take out time to exercise when I could be going out with friends or staying at home with the Husband? Why do I eat fruit and veggies when I could have what I really want - another bag of potato chips? Why do I put in the work?

There really are a few things that motivate me. In no particular order:

1. My Health - Heart problems run a muck on my Dad’s side of the family. Cancer usually attacks my Mom’s side. I don’t want to leave this earth before the age of 80 (which seems to be standard practice in my family), so I need to do something about it now. Eat right and exercising, as well as making other small changes in my life, will give me a fighting chance to see my great-grand-kids!
2. My (yet-to-be-conceived) Children - I was really blessed growing up. My parents were active parents. Not only did they take the church youth group skating, they would play tag with them around the rink. I had a hard time getting dates once I turned 16 because my Dad’s biceps were so huge (they still are pretty big) that they scared off any candidate. I want to be like that for my children. Maybe not the bulging biceps part, but I want to be in my 40’s and able to chase them around the roller skating rink.
3. Myself - This is where the “vanity” in being healthy comes in. All that eating right and exercising usually adds up to a better looking person, doesn’t it? Although I have never considered myself vain, I wouldn’t mind fitting into a size 4 jeans. And I am sure the Husband wouldn’t mind either. On top of that, I strive for self-improvement. So even if I fit in the size 4 jeans, I would sit wonder what I could do to better myself. On the inside or on the outside. I am happy with who I am, but I know that I can be better. So why not?

That is my current motivation to live a happy, healthy life. What is yours?