If not Now, When?
What is the key, exactly, that enables a person to turn things around and make the commitment to living a healthy, vibrant (and yes, sexy) life? When I’m interviewing authors about their healthy life changes for this column, I ask a couple different questions to try to get at this: What prompted you to begin making this change? Is there a particular person or event that serves as inspiration and motivation for you?
I’m sure if I ever found an answer that would work for everyone, I could bottle it, sell it, and become a millionaire. That choice point is so different, so intensely personal, so deeply anchored in individual history that there’s never a one size fits all.
By now, if you’ve followed our Stay Sexy column at all, you know my husband’s bypass surgery a few years ago was such a turning point for us. We’ve come to claim If Not Now, When? as our personal mantra.
It’s embedded in a series of guidelines I stumbled upon in a motivational speech I once attended by accident. The speaker’s three points were as follows
- Decide what you want.
- Decide what you’re willing to give up to get it.
- Take action now.
Works for me. The beauty is, it worked as the wake-up call for some major lifestyle changes a few years back, and it works on a daily basis, any time I don’t feel like putting in the effort to start my workout or stick to my healthy eating. What do I truly want? And if I don’t go after it now, when?
Hope it works for some of you! Have fun, and Stay Sexy!
