What motivates you?

What is your current goal? What is your long term goal? What makes you finally define something as more than just a passing thought, but rather as a goal (which requires commitment)?

Do you want to lose 10# to wear that special dress to a wedding at the end of the summer? Are you interviewing for your first post-graduate job? Are you trying to save money to tackle a certain project that's been on the back burner for too long? Do you want to finally get your life (and basement) organized?

Why do you want to achieve whatever 'it' is? Will accomplishing 'it' make you feel more fulfilled?

What will it take to make you succeed? Your passion? Your unbelievable drive? The potential end result? Will it be your amazing support system or giving yourself a deadline that will help you succeed?

There are self-help books on the market. There are motivational tapes you can listen to (if you still have access to a Walkman). There are life coaches and fitness trainers who will help you stay on track.

I'm not talking about the achieving the predictable New Year's Eve resolutions or the 'it's time to get back into the summer swimsuit challenges'. I'm talking about conquering your fears in the here and now. What is it you REALLY want to do? Why do you want it so bad that you're willing to put yourself in a vulnerable position to go after it? Who is in your corner to support you? How will you feel when you get to the top of YOUR mountain? What will your mountaintop view look like?

I know what MY current challenges are and why I want to overcome them; I want to lose the nagging 5-10# that will never go away, I want to sleep through the night more than two nights in a row, I want to spend more time with my granddaughters, I want to be able to give myself permission to carve out the occasional ME time and not feel guilty for doing it, and I want to learn how to forgive and move on. I am a work in progress, but that's okay ... at least if I am in progress I must be moving forward.

How about you? 

What are your current challenges and how can I help you over come them?

It's Never Too Early To Take Your Life Seriously

Some people live life way too seriously; they're workaholics, they read EVERY newspaper article and Internet headline before their second cup of coffee, and they're planning next week in great detail while forgetting about tomorrow. Then there are other people who never take life seriously in the least. Their idea of planning for their future revolves solely around the dinner menu.

So what has me contemplating life choices? Like others, I read headlines about a 21 year old shooting a roommate over a minor disagreement. I see daily selfies being posted on Facebook by 12-15 year old kids that make me wonder where their self esteem is. Do they really need to post a new staged selfie 3-4 times a week? What's the point? Have they evolved that much in 24 hours?

I'll admit I ponder through Facebook and my limited Instagram connections to see what's going on, but I often see stuff that just makes me wonder. I'm not writing on my blog to bash anyone's choices or try to convince you of my viewpoints on piercings or tattoos. My views are my views. My point, though, is that I wonder how many people ask themselves how some of their spontaneous choices they make today will stick with them for the long haul. Will they be happy with their trendy tattoo when they're 65 or even 80? Will their fellow neighbors in the senior living center think to themselves, 'WOW, YOU ROCK'? Or will they have to put their glasses on to look at it and say, 'What the heck is that?'

Will posting that picture of yourself today wearing the low cleavage dress while holding a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other scream out to a potential employer, "Choose me for the job. I promise to represent your company with nothing but pure professionalism."?

This post isn't meant to be a rant or imply that all morals and self-respect are falling by the wayside. I am merely suggesting, by my observations, that it's never too early to take your life seriously. When making the short term decisions, take a moment to look forward at the long term picture. If your current decision doesn't look like a good mesh with the long term goal, maybe take a step back and rethink the drinking and driving idea or the texting or driving without a seat belt thought. Remember that the choices you make today can easily stick with you forever.