What drives people to spend years and thousands upon thousands of dollars to go to medical school? What drives people to run marathons? What drives people to quit their full time jobs to start their own business? It could be a multitude of different reasons for each one. But, behind all of those reasons, there's probably a very deep-rooted "why."
"Kate, I don't know how you wake up at 5 a.m. to workout." Do I get up at 5am everyday to workout? No. Did I used to? Yes, and sometimes it was 4 a.m....and sometimes even 3 a.m. A few things have changed so, now, I usually sit down on Sunday's and evaluate my week. I figure out what days are going to be super busy and therefore will require me to get up super early to get my workout in. I figure out what days I can workout when my boys nap. And then, I finally figure out what days I want my kids to be there with me when I workout.
So, let's break that last paragraph down a bit. Do I enjoy working out? Most days, yes. Do I enjoy working out at 3, 4 or 5 a.m. when everyone else in my house is cuddled up under the covers still sleeping? HECK NO!!! In my perfect world - which doesn't exist at the moment - I'd have someone here to entertain my boys so that I could workout at around 11 a.m. By that time, I'm usually mentally awake & physically, I'm ready to go. But, working out, undisturbed, at 11 a.m. everyday is just not feasible. It's not reality. My reality is dragging myself out of bed when it's dark and cold and doing what needs to get done. But WHY do I do it?
Breaking that down a little further... I used to ONLY workout if I could be by myself. No kids. Just me. Some days, I need to just be in my zone and push myself hard & let's face it, that's hard to do with 2 little ones running around the room with you. But on days where maybe I'm doing a less intense workout, or some yoga, I take advantage of my sweet spot - my 11 a.m. workout time - and take the kiddos into our game room with me. They're old enough to participate. More importantly, as parents, we know that kiddos don't always listen to what we say. But, they learn behaviors by watching us...even when we think they aren't paying attention. So, on those days, I'll set myself up in front of the t.v. and then set up their cars or trains on the other side of the room. I'll tell them that mommy is going to exercise and they can either play cars/trains or they can join mommy. Within minutes of hitting play on the DVD, I have 2 workout buddies. Every. Single. Time. They think it's a fun. And truth is, with them, it really is. I encourage them & every once in a while, they'll say to me "good job mommy!"
Why do I workout? Well, there's the obvious reasons - I want to look nice for my husband. I want to be able to wear any outfit with confidence. I want to feel good about myself. I want to be able to look in the mirror & be proud of what I see in the reflection. But chances are, when that alarm goes off at 4 a.m., none of those reasons are strong enough to drag me out of bed when I can just easily hit snooze...or turn my alarm off completely. So, why then? My dad passed away when I was 4. I missed out on an entire lifetime of knowing him. I want to do everything in my power to get & keep myself healthy. I don't want my kids having to go through what I went through. I want to be around to see my kids grow up. I want to make my kids proud of their mama. I want to teach them discipline. I want to teach them that a healthy lifestyle is not a punishment. I want to teach them that physical fitness can be fun. That it is a privilege. THAT is what gets me out of bed in the morning. I do it for my kids...because they, and my husband, deserve the best version of me. They deserve a healthy and happy mommy. And no, I'm certainly not happy at that early hour of the morning. But, as soon as I'm done and dripping with sweat...I feel like a million bucks.
So, what have you been looking to tackle? Going back to college? Getting in shape? Applying for a new job? Running a race? Paying off debt? Starting your own business?
If your WHY doesn't make you cry, it's not strong enough. Dig deep. Your WHY POWER can help you accomplish even the most difficult of tasks.
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| Me & my boys after I completed my second half marathon. Thinking of them helped push me to the finish line when all I wanted to do was quit. They are my WHY. |
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