Motivation

I won’t lie. There are days that going out on a walk seems like a real trek. My feet feel like lead as I start off most days, and the amount of time it takes for my circulation to catch up varies. And my knees, while better, sometimes still hurt a bit. A twinge, but that twinge lowers my taste for walking considerably. So what motivates me to keep going?
We often think that motivation is a matter of the heart. But I feel and suspect, more and more, that true motivation comes from the mind. When it is CLEAR to you what you are gaining from walking (or dieting), and losing by not doing so, the choice becomes obvious.
The problem is, that people don’t think too hard. My once-overweight son had a t-shirt which said: “I used to think that overeating was bad for me. So I gave up thinking.” HOW TRUE. Or we lie to ourselves (and others) that it is only “one more piece”, or “just tonight”, or “tomorrow I will start”.
If one pauses and thinks, the mind must reach the correct conclusion. But it must be clear enough, sure enough, to overcome the laziness and desire for comfort that we all have. And this is the power of a group or a good diet partner. Hopefully, they help us stop lying to ourselves, and to see without error.