Gift giving comes in man shapes and forms. From the ordinary to the unique; a great gift can be hard to find. Your role in the gift giving process can be a pivotable moment in someones life without you even knowing it. Giving a gift can be materialistic (gift basket or new watch) or sentimental (romantic dinner or night out). There is one other gift that most people overlook. Y-o-u.

You are an important link in the relationship chain. Your "other half" counts on you to be there when the chips are down. You are the strength when life gets tough. You need to take care of yourself for your family, girlfriend, boyfriend, or whatever!

You have the power to change your life. You have the power to change someone else's life too! You also have the power to improve two lives at the same time. What's stopping you?

Is it that you're too busy? Too tired? Too stressed? Too lazy?

Maybe you just don't know how to do it? A common problem with many people is that they don't ask the questions. What if they don't know what the question is? That's a valid question in itself, is it not? Are they ignorant, stupid, or just plain lazy? Ahh! Lazy!

By definition the word "lazy" means: "disinclined to activity or exertion : not energetic or vigorous"

I think motivation goes hand in hand with laziness. If you are the person that throws out a bunch of excuses, then you have lost self motivation. You don't have to be the stereotypical lazy person to lose self motivation. You must look deep within to find that motivation to keep going everyday. You lose the motivation, laziness will not be far behind.

You deal with work all day then come home to a house full of kids begging for your attention. Maybe you don't have kids, but come home to bills and a starving Rottweiler. Either way, there is some kind of stress in your life that you perceive is the root of all your misfortune.

I can't pay your bills, nor can I feed your Rottweiler, but I can tell you this; Everyone has the power to change their lives for the better. The change I'm talking about starts with your own health. That's right. Get your health in check and everything else will follow. Be healthy and you will find that motivation to work on anything!

A healthy lifestyle with a healthy looking body might be what your partner is hoping for. Loved ones have a terrible habit of not telling you what they feel. Even if they do, you have the tendency to blow them off thinking they are nagging you to do something. You should listen to them. They just might know what they're talking about.

Now, look at the first paragraph again. A great gift is, and always will be, Y-o-u. You must make sure you will always be there for the other person. Get yourself in shape. Get yourself healthy. Get yourself wrapped up in a bow and give yourself as a gift on her next birthday. Don't be a dumb hubby! Find that motivation and change both your lives by first changing yours.

The path to a new you starts with the right questions:

What do I do?

- Get yourself motivated to stick to a routine of health. You don't even have to give up all the stuff you enjoy. Just stick to an established routine that you can deal with comfortably and you will be amazed at how quickly your body responds.

How do I get motivated?

- Anyone can get motivated. Get mad! Get really mad at how you have put everything off by blaming your daily life for preventing you from making a change. Find your motivation. It's all around you. A movie star, an Olympic swimmer, your neighbor. Anything can be your motivation...you just have to identify it.

How do I do it?

- Find a routine, stick to it, and don't get frustrated if you don't see immediate results. You won't lose ten pounds overnight. Sheesh! Give your body a break! Things take time. The best thing you can do is not worry about anything. Stick to the routine and results will come. Believe it!

What routine are you talking about?

- A real workout routine you can do in the privacy of your own bedroom. The best news of all, you don't have to pay for a thing!. You can find a great routines on websites such as MensFitness.com . Look at that link to view workout routines to fit your lifestyle. It doesn't have to be the ball-buster routine that gets you those picture perfect abs.

Do you want to stay the same way your are for the rest of your life? Really? Don't be satisfied with the way things are. That's being lazy. Give yourself as that great birthday gift to her (or him). Your "better half" will appreciate it more than you could imagine.

Motivation = something better.

You will do it if you find that motivation.

Here's some gift giving advice for you: Start a routine about 60 to 90 days before the Birthday. Make that date your motivation. Stick with it and don't even worry about results. It will come and your body WILL respond in due time.

Oh! One other thing. Don't forget the Birthday card and flowers. What are you, a Dumb Hubby?!