According to Merriam-Webster, one definition of “ready” is “prepared mentally or physically for some experience or action”. Ok, that’s pretty straight forward. I’ll go with that. I’ve been thinking a lot about readiness lately. Am I going to be ready for my first half marathon in November? I think so. My body is trying to tell me maybe not – but I’m arguing back and can be stubborn sooo… I’m up for the fight. Am I ready to start writing a blog? Sure! This could be really fun – and hopefully informative, entertaining or a simple boredom killer for anyone reading it. But it could also be scary, putting myself out there for the public to get to know in a different capacity than the usual, “Hi, how are ya, this is me, in the flesh, this is what I look like, how I talk, etc., etc.” Talking to people face to face is easy for me. I just hope this blog can help individuals feel like they know me, even though we’ve never met.

But for many of us, readiness is not as simple as it may sound in that definition above. You see, often we believe we’re ready for something, but our actions speak to the contrary. Or perhaps we truly are ready for something, but then life happens and plans get derailed. Maybe we really want to pursue something but just don’t have the support or know how to begin. It’s OK. One of the beautiful things about waking up to another day is our ability to BE ready – maybe at that very moment, or work towards being ready – to make choices or come to decisions all over again. Now, keeping in mind that we never know what the next day will bring, it’s probably worth ensuring that we’re being cognizant EACH day, about what we want or need to be ready for. Its super easy to glide through the day, in our usual routines, without giving a lot of thought as to what, if anything we need to prepare ourselves for. Next thing you know, 2 weeks, years or decades have gone by. Don’t lose sight of what you want.

There’s plenty of info and research out there about motivation, behavior change, what makes people “tick” etc. and if you’re interested in some of that, this might be one good place to start. Essentially, what it comes down to is that humans are complicated, right? Some people are driven to change or some pursuit by social influence (the media says I’m not attractive enough), others by fear (if I don’t quit smoking I might die of lung cancer). Others move forward due to the excitement of what life will be like afterwards (being able to run after my nephew, grandchild, dog, whatever I might want to chase once my arthritis improves) or maybe a true, deep desire to personally grow just for the sake of growing. Regardless of your individual reasons for wanting to change, adjust or pursue something, I just think it’s great if you’re even thinking about it!

So…is there something you need to be ready for? Do you need to make a lifestyle change in order to be healthier – or maybe quit a bad habit? Do you need to adjust commitments so you have a few minutes each day to take care of yourself? Do you feel like you need to EVOLVE in some way?
If so my friends, I offer you wishes of encouragement, focus, support and success!
Be well,
Michele