Ability, Motivation, Attitude

Ability is what you are capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.
--Lou Holtz

On the bulletin board in my kitchen is a recent picture of my mother.  It is a spectacular photo.  She is standing next to the nurse in charge of the cardiac rehabilitation program that she entered after a quadruple bypass.   She is, quite literally, the poster child of the program.  

If I ever feel that my motivation is lagging, I’m going to look at the picture.  The truth is that while I am delighted to have inherited my mother’s ready laugh and her tendency to collect stories as she moves through life, I am less excited to have inherited the cardiac risk that her surgery represents for me.  Heart disease runs right down the line in my father’s family as well.   My parents are healthy wonderful examples for me and for my children.  They eat well, exercise regularly and pay attention to all the things they should.  They still have faced considerable cardiac challenges.

February is American Heart Month.  There are websites and photo ops and even bottles of wine that tell us to “Go Red” in support of heart health awareness.   These are all great.  I’m a fan of anything that makes people more aware of the risks associated with heart disease.  But looking at the picture of my mother reminds me that this is ultimately up to me.  I can’t wish away the family tendency towards heart disease anymore than I can wake up tomorrow fifty pounds lighter and twenty years younger.

  

I can, however, lace up my shoes and get moving.

Happy  Belated Valentine’s Day!