Finding My Motivation- Why do I want to lose weight?

JUST A THOUGHT- I took some time to do a short writing exercise. It’s a way to find some effective motivation to wake me up at the crack of dawn and avoid eating all that food that’s off limits. I’d done it in the past and I found it useful to keep me focused. Motivation can change with time, perspective an priorities change, so I thought it would be good to try it again and see where my focus was this time around. The idea is to continue asking myself why I want to lose weight until I find an answer that touches a nerve.  It ended up looking like this:

It started out pretty straight forward. I want to lose weight because I want to be healthy and so I won’t worry I’m cutting my life short. Once I started writing I found myself coming full circle reflecting on what the end of my life would be. I realized when I do die I want to feel satisfied that I’ve lived well and fully.

Then I got to my last entry: “To show God I didn’t waste the gifts He gave me.” It reminded me of a story in the Bible that I’ve heard on and off since I was little: The Parable of The Talents (Mathew 25:14-30) The story is about this master that went on a journey and left three of his servants with talents (mina, money, it’s called different things); one 5, one 2 and the last 1 talent. Each is entrusted with these gifts to make the most of them and present them to the master upon his return. When he came back the servants with 5 and 2 talents has put their talents to work and come back to their master having doubled their investment. The master, pleased with their return rewarded them and invited them to share in their master’s glory and happiness. The servant with 1 talent, fearful that losing that one gift would incur his master’s wrath chose to bury that talent and return it to his master. Angry that this servant had done nothing with his 1 talent the master took what he had given his servant and sentenced them to toil in the darkness.

There are several interpretations of this story but to me it illustrates the consequence of wasting the gifts and talents God gives you. Regardless of the status you are born into there are always abilities you are gifted with. Not only are they opportunities to better yourself, it is our responsibility to utilize them and make the most of what we were given. IN the end we will have to answer for what we did with those gifts. I want to present, at the end of my life, that I led a life of service and I did what I could to make my world better. I’ve learned the past two years that taking care of my health is important in using those gifts I have to offer the world.

So I’ll continue to work to stay healthy, for myself, for my family and friends an to find my purpose in this world.

Until next time,