"A moral being is one who is capable of reflecting on his past actions and their motives - of approving of some and disapproving of others." - Charles Darwin
with the coming and passing of my quarter-of-a-century birthday last weekend, i've been thinking, a LOT. what? well... i definitely don't think i'm too young to look back on past experiences, situations, and relationships and try and figure out why they happened the way they did, how they have made me grow as a person, and what i have and am going to take from them to live the best life possible. i'm also now able to look into the future and make decisions that will positively impact my life.
20 years ago
i was a chubby, 5 year old girl. i had a mom and a dad that were married. i was shy, quiet, and always had a perfectly matching outfit with perfectly styled hair. i had a lot of friends. life was carefree.
15 years ago
i was 10, still chubby. my parents were divorced. i had acquired a little sister, i loved cheerleading. life was a lot different than it was 5 years prior, but i was still shy, and i had some of the best friends in the world.
10 years ago
15 years old?? i was the cheer captain for the JV cheer squad at Escondido High School. STILL chubby. lived in a different house. had the same friends and my biggest worry was cheerleading drama.
5 years ago
i was 20. in college. had a serious boyfriend. i was FAT. after high school i gained weight like it was nobody's business. still had my friends, but struggled with our relationships.
one year ago
i was engaged. i thought i was happy. but i remember having a breakdown on my 24th birthday. carlos and i were supposed to go out to dinner. none of my clothes fit. i felt fat. fat and ugly. so i sat in the closet, on the ground, and cried my eyes out... i finally found something to wear.. here is what i looked like that day.
that's the face of one miserable girl. not miserable with anyone but my own freakin' self. (ps. ant looks so small)
now
i weigh at least 50lbs less than i did on that day. i'm twenty five. i ran a 5k in my best time, i ran my first ever 10k and i ran a half marathon! people think of me as an inspiration, a leader, a motivator. i have the same friends, we are sadly not as close. things happen for a reason. just as all the events of my past have. i can see now why many of them happened. my parents got divorced and it made me a strong, independent woman. i got to be a cheer captain and it helped me gain the confidence i needed to be a successful leader/teacher. some things have happened and i haven't yet figured out why. but i'm pretty sure my breakdown on my 24th birthday occurred so that i would push myself to join the VBL and change my life forever.
5 years from now
i hope to have a successful career as a trainer/nutritionist. i want to help others go through an amazing transformation inside and out just as i have. everyone deserves to live a healthy, positive, meaningful life. i am going to help people do this. i will have my own place. no debt. a super cute dog. and the best family/friends in the world in my life, regardless if we are as close as we used to be, i plan on keeping them all around forever.
so although this year's birthday was a LOT different than it has been in years past, i still got to spend it with some amazing people and i'm reminded of how big of an accomplishment i have achieved within that 24th year of my life. i'm proud of myself. i did this. i took the bull by the horns and finally decided to change. so what's my motto for year 2-5?
20 years ago
i was a chubby, 5 year old girl. i had a mom and a dad that were married. i was shy, quiet, and always had a perfectly matching outfit with perfectly styled hair. i had a lot of friends. life was carefree.
15 years ago
i was 10, still chubby. my parents were divorced. i had acquired a little sister, i loved cheerleading. life was a lot different than it was 5 years prior, but i was still shy, and i had some of the best friends in the world.
10 years ago
15 years old?? i was the cheer captain for the JV cheer squad at Escondido High School. STILL chubby. lived in a different house. had the same friends and my biggest worry was cheerleading drama.
5 years ago
i was 20. in college. had a serious boyfriend. i was FAT. after high school i gained weight like it was nobody's business. still had my friends, but struggled with our relationships.
one year ago
i was engaged. i thought i was happy. but i remember having a breakdown on my 24th birthday. carlos and i were supposed to go out to dinner. none of my clothes fit. i felt fat. fat and ugly. so i sat in the closet, on the ground, and cried my eyes out... i finally found something to wear.. here is what i looked like that day.
now
i weigh at least 50lbs less than i did on that day. i'm twenty five. i ran a 5k in my best time, i ran my first ever 10k and i ran a half marathon! people think of me as an inspiration, a leader, a motivator. i have the same friends, we are sadly not as close. things happen for a reason. just as all the events of my past have. i can see now why many of them happened. my parents got divorced and it made me a strong, independent woman. i got to be a cheer captain and it helped me gain the confidence i needed to be a successful leader/teacher. some things have happened and i haven't yet figured out why. but i'm pretty sure my breakdown on my 24th birthday occurred so that i would push myself to join the VBL and change my life forever.
5 years from now
i hope to have a successful career as a trainer/nutritionist. i want to help others go through an amazing transformation inside and out just as i have. everyone deserves to live a healthy, positive, meaningful life. i am going to help people do this. i will have my own place. no debt. a super cute dog. and the best family/friends in the world in my life, regardless if we are as close as we used to be, i plan on keeping them all around forever.
so although this year's birthday was a LOT different than it has been in years past, i still got to spend it with some amazing people and i'm reminded of how big of an accomplishment i have achieved within that 24th year of my life. i'm proud of myself. i did this. i took the bull by the horns and finally decided to change. so what's my motto for year 2-5?
MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.
which is totally what i'm doing. so i'm going to challenge all of you to do the same. write down somethings you'd like to happen in your life, and MAKE them. sometimes we need to make sacrifices but they're all worth it in the end. it's a new year, so get things done because they're not just going to happen without you making them.
wine tasting last year on my birthday.....
wine tasting this year on my birthday...
You are awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteYour new buddy ~ Jimmy
Sooooo happy for you! And you are good at everything you set out to do, so it only makes sense that you have been so successful with your fitness goals as well.
ReplyDelete-Elyse