Which Is More Important - How or Why?

by, Alycia W. Morales
@AlyciaMorales

I'm 50 pounds overweight. And unfit. My core suffers as I enjoy chocolate and sweet tea and sit at a desk all day. My husband isn't in much better shape than I am, and we've decided to eliminate our "extra." But that's not the only "why" we're doing this. At least not for me.

So, this past week we began an all-natural, daily supplement dose that is increasing our energy, blocking an enzyme that turns sugars and starches into fat (so we shed our fat intake rather than retaining it), suppressing our appetites, increasing our metabolisms, and cleaning our systems. We'll take these for a month or two and then give our bodies the appropriate break they will need.

This week we started P90X3. That means we realized just how out of shape we were this morning. I could barely do jumping jacks for 45 seconds, let alone the 2 minutes the program wants you to do during what they call a "fit test." And then I couldn't find my pulse to take my heart rate measurements. Thankfully, I found an app on my phone that does that. So tomorrow...

And as much as we can this week, we're focusing on what we're putting into our bodies. Next week, when we can better afford it, we'll start a juicing/salad/small, sensible meal diet.

I've noticed something that I'm sure some of us have noticed before, but I think it's finally clicked with me.

Whenever I set my heart and mind to do something, I tend to get a short distance toward my goal before I quit. Or at least take a break and try to pick it up again later.

I lay out my plans. I write them down. I set my goals. I put them into my calendar. I get whatever supplies I may need to accomplish the goals. And I get started.

And then life happens. Or schedules change. Or I run out of something I need. Or I find some other reason I can't keep going forward. And I stall out...

What I've noticed is that we tend to know the HOW of what we want to accomplish. And when something gets in the way of HOW, we shut down. Instead, we need to focus on the WHY we're doing it in the first place. And those WHYs need to be strong enough reasons that we are ready to act to make them happen.

Above, I discussed HOW I'm going to lose weight and get back into physically-healthy shape. And although I mention that I am overweight and need to shed a few pounds, that's the only WHY I gave. And it's not enough of a reason for me to keep going if I run out of steam. It's not enough reason to push through the pain and the stress and past my desire for sweet treats.

But there is a WHY that is strong enough:

I want to be around when my kids are adults. I want to enjoy my future grandchildren. And I want to have the energy to keep up with them.

I want to be able to enjoy the great outdoors with my husband once our kids are grown and have moved on. I want to be like the elderly woman I saw with her husband on a waterfall hike a couple of weeks ago. She used a walking stick (not a cane), and she was hiking a trail I'm not sure I could hike in 40 years if I keep going the way I am. So I will press on.

I don't want to be one of those ladies who consistently falls and breaks her hip when I'm 90 years old. I must strengthen my core now to avoid that later.

So when you set your next goal, make sure the WHY you're doing it is stronger (by far) than the HOW you're going to get it done. That way, you're guaranteed to push longer and harder toward your goal than you normally would.

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You know HOW to reach a goal. But it's the WHY that's more important. {Click to Tweet}

Which is more important: How or Why? via @AlyciaMorales {Click to Tweet}