Now...or later?

My brother Tom once said to me "People only change when what they are doing is more painful than making the change." We had been talking about significant changes, not simply taking a different route to work or getting a new hairstyle, but changes that increase the quality of our lives. So, I'm wondering if that "gotta be in pain before you change" can be circumvented? I believe it can. Fascinated by human nature and what motivates someone to make any kind of change, I wonder why we do what we do. 

Does it all just boil down to pain or pleasure, suffering or satisfaction? Do we really do things because they feel good and try avoid the things that feel bad? It's not quite that simple. What's missing from the pain or pleasure equation is what I call the "now or later factor". We've all been in situations where we have to decide between forgoing short term satisfaction now for long term pleasure later or enjoying the short term satisfaction now and forgoing the long term benefit later.

I know a seventy something who had a quadruple bypass, is diabetic and had cancer...whew! He won't make dietary changes that have been scientifically proven to reverse all of his maladies (not yet, I'm still trying). He would rather enjoy the short term pleasure of ice cream, cake and cookies forgoing the potential long term benefit of a life free of the limitations of his illnesses. I also know a healthy twenty something who went from eating a Standard American Diet (SAD) one day to being a dehydrated nut burger eating, raw vegan the next. What motivated such an extraordinary shift in one yet not in the other? Would finding the answer to that question help us be more motivated?

At first I thought that the twenty something was a perfect example of giving up short term pleasure for the potential long term benefit of being healthy. But then I realized that he doesn't feel deprived or like he's suffering. He is motivated by the pleasure from the raw whole plant-based food he eats and has no desire to consume unhealthy foods. AHA!

We are each motivated by different things. However, if we perceive a win, win situation that could definitely be motivating! So, what lights a fire under your butt? Explore and find out what will motivate you to make healthy changes to your diet by first spending some time by yourself (yeah, I know...a luxury). Think about what goal you want to accomplish by changing what you eat. Do you want to lose weight, lower your cholesterol, have more energy? Then figure out what the benefits of that goal are and find at least one that resonates passionately within you. Initially I thought mine was alleviating my asthma. But deep down inside what really hit home was the thought of living the last years of my life like my father did...hooked up to dialysis 3 days a week from diabetes complications. At the time I had metabolic syndrome, the precursor to diabetes. So, I was literally following in his footsteps. As I watched him creep closer to death, I remember saying "I refuse to merely exist, I want to LIVE!"

As you begin your journey of better health, think also about the potential challenges awaiting you. Then figure out ahead of time how you're going to address them. One of mine was going out to eat, which I love to do. Knowledge is power so I check out restaurants that have salads so great that I couldn't care less about onion rings and burgers. In addition, I think about what I really want and whatever I choose to eat I do so fully consciously. Changing what you eat whether subtly or drastically, is not the goal or destination but instead the means by which you may achieve the benefits that resonate within you. Mine is a full, active life. What's yours?