Focus Post

I've not written a focus post in a long time, and I think it's time. One of these reasons for this post---and something that makes it different---is that I don't just want to focus on ``things I should be doing'' this week. The answer is always going to be the same, I suspect: I should be eating well, exercising, working harder, what have you.

Rather, what I want to focus on is attitude.

It seems that there's a tendency for our motivations to be built on fear. If you don't eat well and exercise, you'll get fat! If you don't work until all hours, you'll never get a job! If you don't. . .! I won't discount the fact that fear can be very motivating. For example, being terrified of gingivitis can definitely be a good motivation to brush your teeth. All the same, motivation built solely on fear is draining. First, you feel horrible: You are simply always guilty.

More perniciously, our fears are often in many ways too abstract, and the consequences of our actions are too far off. The fear of a heart attack at 65 is a fear I should (and do) have: I have a family history of high cholesterol and heart attack. All the same, this fear is not particularly good at motivating me to take better care of my body: It's simply not on my mind every morning when I wake up and ponder whether I should go for a run; nor is it on my mind every time I decide what I want to have for dinner. Frankly, I don't want it to be. I don't want to spend the entirety of my life constantly fending off potential heart attacks.

What I do want to do, on the other hand, is feel healthy every day. I want tons of energy, I want to feel the endorphin high from running, I want to revel in the deliciousness that is fruits and veggies. I want to have happy clean teeth. I want the satisfaction of having written things. I want the excitement of travel. I do not want to be constantly nagged by you should and if you don't. It's exhausting.

I'm not saying that there's not going to be plenty of motivation by fear here in this old noggin. I just want there to be some motivation by joy, too.