In the coaching class I am taking, they say that fear is not a good motivator. They say if someone is motivated by fear, it will not last long.
I had coronary bypass 19 years ago. Call it very much not wanting to have a heart attack or call it fear—it has been motivating me for 19 years. For the last week or so, I have been asking people what motivates them to eat healthy or exercise. For some, it was a goal, like getting around well. For many, it was what they were trying to avoid. I asked if it could be restated that they were motivated by fear of (fill in the blank for them) and I received many ‘yes’ responses. I don’t think it would be a good idea to use fear to motivate. In fact, I don’t believe one person can motivate another at all.
If I don’t think one person can motivate another, why do I write an article every Thursday? I am hoping to start a conversation or two. Most of the topics I write on cannot be the end all, be all in 300-400 words and I am not an expert on any of them, but maybe one topic might spark someone to read further and make their choice with as much information as possible.
That all is the preamble to the article I started and then thought needed context:
What if you for sure (100%) knew if you continued your current lifestyle, you would be diagnosed with diabetes at age 60, go on dialysis (3 days a week) at age 68, have pain with every step you took, be hospitalized on average twice a year for wound management, have three toes amputated at age 72 and die at 78. If you knew for sure, would you change your lifestyle?
What would you do if you could instead live until age 88, with few doctor visits outside your annual checkups, few hospitalizations, maintain the ability to walk and explore until age 87, having good health until very close to your death at 88. Would you remove added sugar, processed foods, fast food and put more movement into your days if it meant a longer and more active life?
What if after a short while, you learned that you weren’t “denying” yourself, missing anything, making yourself unhappy, but instead, your taste buds expanded, and you could taste a broader range of tastes from food and enjoyed eating that way? What if your joints felt better, you had more energy and you were happier?
What if it wasn’t 100% sure, but 75%? Would you, could you then? What if it was 50%?
We can’t see the future, but what is your percentage?
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