A Drop of Motivation?
by Dana Pratola
When the idea of writing an article on motivation crept
into my head, it wasn't until I sat down at the keyboard that I realized
it wasn't because I had any practical advice to offer someone else,
but as with many things in my life, I needed to advise myself.
The truth is I've never been one of those "motivated"
people. Sure, I want to look good, feel good and I want others to
see it too, but given the choice between mounting my exercise equipment
or sitting on my comfy couch nibbling pretzels and watching the View,
I don't automatically drop the remote and get down to business. This
is a character flaw I hope to talk myself out of someday.
There are innumerable excuses I can use to help me wiggle out of
a workout. Some of them are legitimate. First I have to see what guests
are on, decide if my sneakers are too far away and tally the actual
hours of sleep I had the night before -- it can make all the difference.
If I missed that last twenty minutes of prime sleep, I then have to
determine if I should power walk for thirty minutes or negotiate myself
down to twenty. Either way, I'd need another shower and my water bill
is already too high-- You get the idea.
It shouldn't be this hard a process, I know, but I used to give
up from sheer mental exhaustion alone. Lately, now that I think of
it, I'm noticing that it takes twice as much time and effort to get
half the results I used to get as little as a year ago. If that's
not motivating I don't know what is. And I'm guessing that after seeing
how pathetic I am, you're feeling pretty good about yourself, so my
work here is done.
I feel so revved, so energized, I'm going to turn off my computer,
tug on my sneakers and crank up my treadmill--right after Regis.
© Dana Pratola. Reprinted with permission
About the author: Dana Pratola is a freelance
writer and poet. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and three
children and is currently working on her first novel. For twenty years
(whether motivated or not) she has worked out and enjoys aerobics
and strength training. Check out Dana's web site..
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