CHANGE

At a young age we are taught all kinds of knowledge, how to walk, how to tie our shoes, how to read and write, or how to ride a bike but yet we aren't taught to trust ourselves. We rely on our knowledge and skills as we grow up, in the classroom or at home. We find our comfort zone, that's filled with friends and family that love us, and as you graduate high school you find a job somewhere you feel comfortable with your skill set. After graduation you move away from home and off to college you go with your boyfriend/girlfriend you've had for years, but you have a dream of being free. To experience the college life as a single young woman/man, but you don't want to break his/her heart and ultimately lose your best friend. So you stick to your comfort zone. You stick to what you know. Before you know it you've been at your job for five years, still getting paid the same as when you started, never pushing your limits on a raise or a higher position at work. Or maybe you hate your job but your paycheck keeps you around. Perhaps you were a top athlete in high school or college and when 'life happened' you feared what lies ahead and you soon settle into your comfort zone. Soon the weight starts to add on as do the numbers on the scale and the confidence you once had is buried under the self doubt. You no longer visit the gym, or the football field, or the track, or the yoga studio, regardless of where the place is, you avoid it fearing what people will say, fearing how hard it's going to be to start over. Maybe you marry your high school sweet heart and have babies together and as time goes by your lover, your partner in crime, your spouse becomes an abusive person. Through their tormenting and threatening words you do as they say for the fear of what will happen if you stood up to them, or if you took the kids and ran. You fear what would happen if YOU made the CHANGE.

And then one day you find that motivation you've been seeking for so long and you run with it. As things start to change in your life, for the good you start to feel JOY in the process of learning what your dreams are, motivating you even more to chase them.

As we begin another new year motivated by our resolutions remember change is a process. It's easy to get caught up in the pressure to achieve those resolutions and after a month or so you may start to doubt why you've started and give up. I personally ma victim of this process and I'm still challenged by it daily. Change doesn't happen over night and we all know if it did things would be a lit different in this world. So here's to 2020 and all the change it will bring you!! Cheers! Happy Holidays!

Left photo: I just got done visiting my counselor and suddenly felt this motivation to change my lifestyle. At this point I was self sabotaging myself but partying nearly almost every night, using drugs and alcohol as a bandaid to cover up my deeper issues. The more I partied the less I cared about my self image resulting in low confidence and self-esteem. So, motivated by CHANGE I took this photo as my reminder to keep pushing forward.

Right photo: A couple years later as I finished my workout, feeling strong and alive I noticed a change in my attitude, in how I saw myself. It wasn't about the abs but how I felt inside. I was a changed woman. I felt strong, courageous, motivated to feel good inside and out, I had a completely new friend group who supported me in all I did. I had overcome a lot of hurdles the past coupe years and it wasn't easy by any means but consistency gave me the ability to learn what my dreams and passions are in life. And now it's time to chase them.

I hope nothing but the same for you!