I often share my mom’s story, how much she shaped my life, and how she tragically passed away from lung cancer in 2010 (I legit can’t believe it’s been ten years).
I don’t often talk about my dad.
He passed away in 2018 from what we think was a heart attack. Megan found him in his condo, and because of his laundry list of health issues, we couldn’t really tie it to anything other than a heart attack.
That’s why I’m so big on this fitness stuff.
I don’t care to have a 6-pack, I don’t care to be 10% body fat and super skinny, I just want to have healthy habits that give me a shot at being around to see my kids raise their own families, and I’m confident that a lot of you reading this probably share a similar goal.
Because I tragically lost my parents at a young age, both due to things that could have been prevented with better health habits, it’s what keeps me motivated.
And to be honest, I’m seeing this in others in my life now and it makes me sad…
Daily habits that I know are going to kill them (smoking, drinking, lack of activity, etc) if they don’t change, or at least not put them in a position to stand a chance seeing their grandkids graduate high school.
And I think that’s why we’re all here…
Sure, we all have different goals in the short term, but it’s ultimately about giving us a shot at living a longer and healthier life, regardless of what we fill our lives with for activities and experiences.
At a micro-level, we’re all motivated by different short term things but at a macro level the decision today to not workout or to make an unhealthy choice needs to be tied to a larger macro motivator such as putting yourself in a better position to stand a chance being on this earth longer.
Whether that’s to see your grandkids, to do more, to travel more, whatever it is for you.
My mom never saw my brother graduate high school, she never saw me start a business, get married, and most importantly, she never met my kids.
My dad was around for the first year of my son, but other than that, he’ll never see him grow up, he’ll never meet my daughter, etc.
I can only speak about my parents, and I’m aware every situation is different and things can always happen, but all of the health issues that they faced that ultimately killed them were due to poor eating, no exercise, and unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking.
For me, that's my motivator to always steer myself back when I find myself making unhealthy choices, or exercise drops off.
Sure, at a smaller degree there are some weight loss goals, some performance goals, but it’s always tied to that.
As you continue to finish out 2020 and set some goals for 2021 I challenge you to think about the bigger picture, and why all of this matters.
And of course, we’re here to help if you’re feeling stuck, just hit reply.
1% Better.
Dedicated To Your Success,
Doug Spurling