My motivation comes from utilizing my work ethic into my personal life. I make a list of all the pros and cons and just deal with the obvious. I’m always prepared for the unexpected, years of retail and working with high-level manage will do that for you. I know if I put in the work, I WILL see results. All of the silly clichés are true: “Its a marathon, not a sprint” or “Hard work and dedication”. I put forward the effort in believing in myself because I’m not looking for outside help. This is why I’m so humble to all of the support I get in return. At the end of the day, I’m just being me. I’ve always been the one who believes I can accomplish anything I put my mind to when I’m working…so why not apply it to my personal life? There’s always going to be a ‘nay sayer’ in your life, I just clean a bunch out when I decided to start working out. Some I ‘unfriended’ some I ‘blocked’ and some I just stop calling…and you know what? They stop calling right back. I use the search engine to get started. I looked at what I can do to get rid of some problem areas. In the long term…it’s essential to workout all body parts, but I did it as a crutch to get used to lifting weights. No one in the gym ever gave me a ‘look’ that made me feel uncomfortable, so it’s funny to think how I feared that unknown. I’m motivated because I want to be the best me I can be. I want to see things that I’ve never seen as an adult when it comes to the shape of my body. Have you seen my Give It 100 video where I show the world the one thing I don’t like? I’ve always been top heavy. Wide back and a over hanging stomach. For example:

Jeans, I always have to order one size larger than I actually fit because of my stomach. So they’re baggy everywhere except where my stomach is.

Shirts: I have to wear the larges size because my top half consist of a wide stomach and even wider back and wear two extenders just to fit into a normal bra.

That’s just and example of how I started…once I got the hang of things on my own, I began to try other routines out. I know there’s no magic pill. I know that looking for the easy/fast route will not teach me anything in the future. I’m motivated because I know I have the strength, integrity and will power to overcome this obstacle – just like I did many times when I was working. And while my hands are idle and I have no work coming in, I don’t let that get me down. I fight everyday, just like you. I have my down moments, just like you. But, I get up and fight again. I’m not done with this battle. The war is not over.

You don’t see how long it takes me to get out of bed because of the negative thoughts in my head. You don’t see how many times I’ve cried because I rather sit on the sofa, eat kettle chips and zone out on The Walking Dead, Mad Men or Scandal then go to the gym. I limited my conversations to certain friends because I don’t want to feel like the pity party. Plenty of people I know are graduating, buying homes, having kids, getting married, bonuses at their jobs, new jobs, promotions….and here I sit. Regardless, you’ll never get a chance to see a ‘real’ person overcome their battles on TV unless there’s a competition behind it – trust me. I’ve been offered some crazy things.

I’m not a robot, I go through it just like you. It sucks, it’s hard, I don’t want to do it, I can’t deal with it, I don’t like it. But, I’m tankful for it everyday. The power push through and accomplish more is what drives me. The war is not over.