What gets you up in the morning?
We make decisions every day. Many times, every day. Sometimes, it seems like that’s all we do. Some of those decisions are simple. What are we having for dinner? What shoes am I wearing with this outfit? Do I stop for gas now while I still have a quarter tank or wait until my car says, “give me gas NOW, woman?” We decide things without thinking most of the time.
Never in a million years did I think I would be a writer. I never wanted to be one. I wanted to be an astronaut. My mother wanted me to be a doctor, though that was the LAST thing I wanted. Everyone had an opinion on what they wanted me to be, but only one person even kinda led me in the direction I am now in – my Uncle Tony with his unabridged dictionary. Still, I never thought I’d be a writer. If you had asked me to hypothesize about how I could possibly end up actually being one, I would have never come up with how it happened in real life, I can tell you that!
My journey is as long and as winding as the Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee. There are twists and turns everywhere. Just when I think I know where I’m headed in life, there is another 180 degree curve and I’m looking back the way I came, just further along the trail. In my 46 years on this rock, I’ve made a lot of decisions along that trail, and apparently those decisions have led me to this point in my life, where I am now a writer and a blogger…who’dathunk it??
So, to get to the moral of this story….I had gastric sleeve surgery in 2014. I was severely overweight, and I needed help. I had tried everything on my own and nothing was helping. I was fighting genetics and my health, and I was losing the battle. Part of the approval process for the surgery is a psychological evaluation, and they wanted to know why I wanted to have the surgery. Of course, I knew what to say, I knew what they expected to hear. But I said something I don’t think they expected to come from me, of all people. I told them I had a WHY, and I will always have that WHY. My WHY is my kids. I want to be around for them. I want to have a quality life for them. I want to be around for my grandkids and to be able to enjoy life with them. And having a WHY gives me something to focus on when I start to struggle. I’m pretty sure that is what cinched it for the approval….shhhhh…don’t share that with anyone! I don’t want anyone cheating!
I sat back and asked myself what is my WHY for this particular leg of my journey? What is my WHY – my purpose – for writing, for blogging, for all of this? The answer was actually pretty simple when I thought about it. First and foremost, I see the need people have for understanding, real life understanding, and I have that. I want to reach those people and let them know they are normal! They are okay! And most importantly, they aren’t alone. I want to take this bad situation I’ve been in for the last several years and share what I’ve learned and help others, and possibly make a difference in their lives. And yeah, the other thing is that maybe I can make a little side money from this, somehow-someway. Then I won’t have to bartend or become a stripper! I jest, folks!!! Calm down!! They’d pay me to go home, so relax! I want to leave a legacy for my kids and my grandkids (pictured below…I’m so proud!) and I want them to know they have ALWAYS been my WHY.
If no one has told you lately, I believe in you…and I believe in your WHY. Whatever it is that you are working toward, you can do it! My dear friend, Liz Curtis Higgs, helped me to see that I can do this writing and blogging thing. She believes in me – and friends, I believe in you. Just make sure you believe in yourself and in your WHY! My question to you today is this….what is YOUR why? What is the WHY that will keep you focused on the prize, and will keep you going when you feel like you can’t? When you find that WHY, you find the key to success. It’s usually right there in front of you and is usually a fairly simple thing. Grab it and run with it! Don’t let go and don’t give up!
Love you most,
Lacy
