When I realized my healthy lifestyle journey is bigger than me…
When I realized my healthy lifestyle journey is bigger than me… It changed my whole perspective on, not just life, but living.
I decided to stop writing in my journal and publish this one. Because this is recent and this is what I’m going through right now. And maybe I can look back at this post one year, 2 years, 10 years from now and see how I’ve grown.
We need growth. We shouldn’t be working so hard to stay the same.
The beginning of the beginning
About 2 or 3 weeks ago, I was presented with a chance to live a better life.
Now before that moment I was experiencing some puzzling “changes” with my body. Nothing dramatic, but I noticed things were different. And I knew why.
I wasn’t eating healthy: Fast food, fried food, or NO FOOD! Seriously, ya girl would sometimes starve herself (for various reasons)! And it just wasn’t working out for me anymore. I realized I didn’t have the same body I had in high school that gained absolutely no weight, no matter what I ate. And my circumstances weren’t the same either.
Back then I was an athlete, I was more socially active, and I had a reliable source for food—my dad. But things are different now. Now I have NONE of those things, and I was selfish to think my body would stay the same. But still, my crazy self was perplexed by all these changes.
Yeah sooo, I can’t even believe I’m posting this pic for all to see. I’m most self-conscious about my tummy (it’s almost as big as my a**!). But this is result of years of unhealthy eating, beer, and pure laziness. If you don’t think it’s that bad compared to others, what’s been going on internally has been muchhh worst. That’s the part you can’t see.
I knew something had to give, I just didn’t what or how.
Now, let’s get things correct, I’m not overweight and I never have been. But some think you have to be in order to have healthy eating or fitness goals. I’ve thought this way. I thought it was either you’re skinny or you’re fat and that’s that. So I relaxed for years after retiring my high school jersey, because I wasn’t fat. I haven’t even hit the gym in over a year!
I was being selfish. I was being insane. And that’s why I’m finally experiencing what I set myself up for years ago. My lack of knowledge hindered me as well. I used it as an excuse to not eat healthy. It would usually be in the form of me saying something like, “I don’t know what to get to eat healthy” or “Eating healthy is expensive”. And that allowed my mind to feel better about going to Cookout or Taco Bell for the fourth time that week (those two were my favorites).
DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW BADLY I’VE BEEN TREATING MY TEMPLE!?
So when I was finally presented with an opportunity to change my life and how I treat my temple, it came at the right moment and in the right form.
Sometimes you have to slow down and listen to what God is trying to tell you. He won’t literally send a personalized note from the sky for you, but the feelings and emotions of the BODY is the closest communication we have to Him. Listen to it. But I’ve personally experienced that listening is HARD when your body is going through all these unhealthy lifestyle habits. I wasn’t fueled enough to hear Him.
But the power of the mind is no joke!
My mind was strong enough to realize something was going wrong. And then that made me realize one key thing, and it changed how I’ll approach any situation from this day forward. Every single thing you do stems from your body and mind. Everything.
The way you walk, talk, how you handle stress, how you are in relationships, how you are at work, with your family, friends, how you set personal goals, how your skin and hair looks, how you sleep, and everything else! It all starts with YOU as a human being, a creation of God.
So if you’re not fueling your body and strengthening your mind, how can you expect to operate in your full potential?
Man when I finally realized this (remember now this was RECENT) I decided to put everything on the backburner and focus on getting my temple whole again.
Yes, for me, that meant I’d neglect my “real-world” responsibilities like rent and bills and things “needed” to survive. And I couldn’t have picked a worse time to do this. I’m living in a state of constant jeopardy. With my part-time jobs, my home, and my current life…nothing is guaranteed! I could lose my job for whatever reason, at any point and everything else would follow suit [Update July 23: When I quit one of my part-time jobs, I fired from the other on the same day. So I lost both of my jobs as I warned myself]. We may think we have security with the jobs we have now…but what would we do if the company we work for went bankrupt!? Or laid people off? Or changed management and began to treat you unfairly until you got fired or decided to quit? These jobs and careers control SO much of our lives and we don’t realize until things hit the fan. And once they do, we are PANICKING!
Why do we put ourselves in these circumstances? Who the hell made us think that playing it “safe” by working for these companies that control our lives is actually the safe option?
If you’re doing things for yourself, even if you don’t reach your ultimate goal, the journey you took on the way would’ve still been well worth it. Because you’re richer with knowledge and PROGRESS. And that kind of rich trumps everything, even money. If you want more money, you have to go out there, learn how to get it and progress to getting it. And more often than not, working for someone else does not have the structure that’ll allow us to do it to our full potential. You’ll always be bound by procedures and limits.
I didn’t know this before, but I know now.
So I decided to change the parts in my life I don’t like by living a healthier lifestyle…
So why am I telling you this?
Because I wouldn’t have took this leap a few weeks ago if it weren’t for one thing…
My business.
That sounds kind of odd. BUT if my mind was never strong enough to realize I needed CHANGE, The Hair Politics would’ve never been here and you would not be reading this right now. And if it weren’t for me tackling this entrepreneur route full force, I would’ve never experienced my struggles that have pushed me to create a healthier (better) ME. When you’re going for YOUR goals (not someone else’s) you begin to see sooo clearly the things you need to improve to get where you want to be. My biggest vice was consistency.
Sure I could be consistent, but only for an incentive…just to reach a peak and then I’m done (that’s a shame). That’s why I was always puzzled thinking good things should be happening for me just because I started…
BUT I WASN’T FOLLOWING THROUGH. I wasn’t staying consistent long enough to reap the rewards.
I thank God every day for allowing me to finally experience this life-changing moment [Update: I’m not perfect. I still struggle with this].
So I’m choosing a healthier lifestyle because I want to be in sync with my body and have the energy to do what I must.
I’m choosing a healthier lifestyle because I want my natural hair to grow to my ANKLES and I know I have to take care of my body to do that successfully!
I’m choosing a healthier lifestyle because I want to see my friends and family anytime I need them or they need me, and making this a living will allow me to do so.
I’m choosing a healthier lifestyle because I want to be able to spend every waking moment with my future kids while still being able to provide for them.
I’m choosing a healthier lifestyle because I want to be alive in my 30s because my mother passed away from cancer and that scares the hell out of me.
I’m choosing a healthier lifestyle because I need to decide how I spend my days, not a boss!
I’m choosing a healthier lifestyle because I want to directly change lives for the better and see everyone experience a transformation that I’m going through right NOW.
So would you care to join me?
I’m serious. And I’m only asking because you and I are no different. I’m not better or more special than you are. You too can have the life you’ve always wanted if you just take care of YOU first! You thought you’ve been doing that, but you probably haven’t. Every day you wake up, you’re giving your life to someone else for the benefit of their business. And it’s time we stop that train in its tracks, hop off, and get on a flight to GREATNESS! It won’t be easy. It’s going to take some hard work. I’m living proof of that.
But when there’s a will, there IS a way!
I’m following too many successful people to think it’s impossible. I actually met one of my idols this past weekend for a business retreat. Courtney Sanders of Think & Grow Chick (check her out if you don’t know her already)! I’ve admired her for an entire year before I got a chance to meet her. I put her on such a high pedestal and I was actually really nervous going to the retreat because I’d be meeting her face-to-face. I figured she must have been superwoman in disguise to accomplish all the things that she had. But once that weekend was over, do you know what I realized?
This is me with one of my business idols, Courtney Sanders of Think & Grow Chick. It was beach time!
She’s normal. She’s just like me. She shared some things that happened in her life that was soooo similar to what I’ve gone through and am currently going through. If she can do it, I finally believed that I CAN TOO! And guess who else can do it?
YOU.
So once again, do you care to join me? I don’t want to outline the details of this ordeal here. Because it’s likely you won’t do s*** with it. I know how us humans (let’s be real, procrastinators and skeptics) can be so this is only for those who are ready to make a change, NOW! I took a leap of faith for me and it’s been great. Will you take one for you?