Something to look forward to....

Well my bloggie friends, I'm home sick today. The cold that I thought I had gotten rid of returned. This weekend, after the 5k, I started feeling my cold symptoms again. Not severely, but more nagging than anything. So, I took a half day at work to come home and take care of myself. After almost a 2 hour nap, I'm feeling better. I'm sitting here watching Oprah, eating organic yogurt, and on her show is an American Idol of sorts. A young Chinese girl name Jane Zhang just performed with a BEAUTIFUL voice. She said that she got her motivation to be a performer one day by walking into a music store and hearing "There's a hero, if you look inside your heart. You don't have to be afraid, of what you are" (you know, that Mariah Carey song from way back when). That got me thinking- what motivates people to do (or not do) what they do? What motivates me? Here are some examples:

-My husband used to be the opposite of adventurous when it came to eating. Once he encountered the tv show 'No Reservations', starring Anthony Bourdain, and followed him in his eating adventures, my husband now will try new food items at restaurants, try my raw foods and my new recipes at home. His interest in Anthony Bourdain and his travels have inspired him beyond words. Now, instead of eating burgers... mac and cheese... and well, lets face it- CRAP, he'll eat more wholesome and healthy food-- even veggi sushi!

-A year ago this month, I weighed 168 lbs. The motivation to lose the weight started with a work 'Biggest Loser' competition. I had the desire and drive to win, because I am a very competitive person. I got 2nd place, but in my mind, I won in the long run because I have kept the weight off (now, 153 lbs-- that's 15 lbs for those of you not counting) and have a whole new outlook on food and exercise. In turn, I created this wellness blog that you're reading now...

Just to give some perspective, and to toot my own horn- toot toot- here are some pictures...
Here's a before picture (that's me on the right):



And here's an after picture:



Yeah, I'm pretty proud of that. Oh by the way, those jeans that I'm wearing in the first picture are tucked away-- far far away, for use at a much later date... aka- for baby time--- at a much later date... hehe.

What motivates you? I'm motivated by many factors, depending on the outcome that I want. And more and more, the limits I put on myself are becoming less and less. The mantra ''why not me?'' runs through my head now, more than ever. Why not me to be rich? Why not me to be healthy? Why not me to be happy? Why not me to do what I want to do in life? Why not me to try new things?

So, why not you, too?

Until next time, Namaste.