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Health & Fitness

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Kathy Boyle is founder of kathyboyleonthego where she brings motivational, networking and sales skills tips to a broad audience. kathyboyleonthego.com

The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.  Michaelangelo

Spring is finally coming as we hit 70 degrees this past weekend accompanied with lots of sunshine. Forsythia is in full bloom and green seems to be taking over as trees and bushes gain leaves and color. We are surrounded by beauty and have so many blessings living in northern Westchester.

We may lose sight of all the things we should be grateful for as our daily struggles and problems can take center place. The recent tragedies which seem to be in the
news every day the last few weeks should make us take stock and be thankful for
what we do have. In just a few short weeks, we had the Boston Marathon bombing, a violent earthquake in Indonesia, an explosion in West, Texas, floods in the Midwest and a multi-story building collapse in Bangladesh…the news has been full of horrendous events affecting the lives of thousands. Another tragedy
which we do not hear much about is the number of children in Greece and Cypress who are digging in the garbage for food as their financial crisis continues to worsen.

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When I read about these life-altering events, it puts any of my life’s obstacles in
perspective. If you are struggling with your marriage, unhappy with your work or unemployed not by choice, encountering financial issues, facing a health issue or having trouble with your kids, these are all very real and affect your daily life and outlook. It is easy to become depressed or feel challenged or overwhelmed by your problems.

Dwelling on the problems or becoming depressed is often paralyzing, preventing action which may improve your situation. Recently, a friend of a friend was over my house while my happy-g0-lucky pittie mix was having a blast as he writhed upside down, scratching his back and making all kinds of noises. She looked at him and said to me “If only I could be that happy”.

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I was shocked to hear her say that as from the outside looking in, it looked like she had it all. I asked her how she could be so unhappy when she has great kids, is a stay-at-home mom, lives in a beautiful neighborhood, drives a nice car, is
attractive, healthy and thin and has been married to a man who provides a nice
lifestyle for their family. Her response was to say that her husband is “very difficult”.

I later found out from our mutual friend that her marriage is not great and one of her children has become a problem. She feels trapped, is unhappy yet not willing to sacrifice their current lifestyle by addressing her martial issues. So she is
miserable each day and doesn’t feel she gets anything done, can’t seem to find
the time to do anything for herself and is challenged by putting meals on the
table. 

While there is no easy solution for this situation, she is focused on the bad and not relishing the great things she has that other people yearn to have such as health, enough food to eat and adorable children.

My attitude is that life is too short to live in misery. To take action, you need to take stock of the problem, create a path to a solution, become motivated and remain so despite encountering obstacles. Motivation comes in many forms and what works for one person may not work for another.

Personally, I find that writing in a journal lets me put anything that is bothering me in to perspective and once I write about the issue, generally I find myself outlining solutions. Exercise is another easy, inexpensive way to reset your mindset. Going for a hike on one of the many gorgeous trails in Westchester, running in the woods or on a dirt road or just jumping rope in the backyard or garage can reset your frame of mind, energize you and get you going.

Writing the goals you would like to achieve for the week and bringing them to a daily to do list is another way to generate a positive frame of mind. Reading about someone who overcame challenges and achieved great things can also motivate you to take action.


So count your blessings, list your challenges, come up with possible solutions, find a technique which works for you to get or stay motivated and challenge yourself to do more. If you set out to climb a mountain, even if you do not make it to the top, you got a lot further than you would had you not set out at all. Life
is like that. Go out and seize the day!

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