Last month, we featured an article about change and transformation. In it, we detailed the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into the butterfly as a metaphor of what real change and transformation entails. Change is messy, scary, and uncomfortable. Just ask the caterpillar while he is turning into black caterpillar soup in his cocoon. The difference between the caterpillar and us is free will. The caterpillar has no choice but to change. We do. Given the reality of change and transformation, is it any wonder then that most of us resist change, even when we know it's good for us?

So, what's the answer? How do we get ourselves to willingly become scary caterpillar soup? The key is to find your motivation. This answer is not new. You've probably heard it before and not only from us. But, this time, we ask you to look a little deeper.

Whatever your thoughts are about the popular show, Biggest Loser, we're sure you will agree that one of the better components to the show is when the contestants meet with the doctor and are forced to face the cold, harsh truth about the state of their health. Confronting this truth isn't easy for them and most of them cry, but the experience lights a fire within and provides the motivation they need to get through the rest of the challenge.

You don't have to be on the Biggest Loser to get this experience. You don't have to be as unhealthy as the contestants on that show to get this type of motivation. And you don't have to wait until life forces a wake-up call with a minor heart attack, a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, or a cancer diagnosis. All you have to do is make yourself face the simple truth:   A poor diet, lack of exercise, and too much stress will kill you, one way or another. And, before it does, it will greatly reduce the quality of your life as you get sicker and sicker. Right now, in this moment, take that in. How will you feel when that cancer diagnosis, heart attack, or diabetes comes? Will you feel tremendous regret? Will you wish you had made the changes when you could? Imagine that diagnosis comes and it's too late.   How will you feel then? Imagine what it will be like for your kids, your husband or wife, your parents. Imagine missing out on your daughter's wedding, your son's first child, your grandchildren's high school graduation. Imagine the grief your friends and loved ones will feel when you are gone. Imagine all that you will miss out on if your life is cut short. Force yourself to really picture it, to really feel it. It will not be fun and you will most likely cry, but it will also light that fire within. It's that fire within that will make you choose to become caterpillar soup so you can turn into a butterfly. Once you really face up to the truth, the pain of staying the same will outweigh the pain of change and that's when the magic happens.

Once you find your motivation, it helps to reinforce it at every turn. That's how you keep the fire alive and burning. If you eat something healthy, exercise, or take 10 minutes to de-stress and decompress, positively reinforce it with thoughts like, "This food is giving me life. That workout helped me live longer and better. Those ten minutes of relaxation and 'me' time saved me from a heart attack." This way, every healthy decision you make reinforces your motivation to continue to make healthy life choices.

We can give you every tool in the book you need to be successful but without the right motivation, the change you seek and the transformation you desire, will never happen. Motivation is entirely up to you.

Don't waste your life away stuck in caterpillar form. Get real with yourself, face the truth, and force yourself to feel the pain now instead of later.  Then, let it light the fire within.  Let it spur you on and motivate you to choose differently, to make the changes necessary, and to ultimately transform into the butterfly that is your true destiny.