It’s not about hard you hit … It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward … how much you can take and keep moving forward … just like Rocky said! It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up … so … stop giving up.
"Easy for you to say, Miss Pageant Girl" … is that what you’re thinking? … Well, let’s take a look back on the pounds I once acquired due to my ability to give up.
Years and years, and still, some more years … That is how long it took to overcome what negativity did to me, my body and my life. Years. And I don’t think I would’ve known how long I’ve been grinding towards bettering myself if I didn’t take a minute to regress …
So, about three weeks ago, my three-time iPhone 5 vs. Pavement champion, officially bit the dust. So, long story short, my lovely cell phone provider, who thoroughly enjoys making my life a living hell, couldn’t fix my phone. RIP Big Homie. It’s been really real. =(
But instead of giving into A-double-T’s ridiculous monthly payment option to purchase a new phone for a ga-zillion dollars, I decided to live on the "just scrapping by" budget that I've been doing for some time now (in order to become a millionaire by the time I'm 30) and I discovered and reactivated my ancient iPhone 4 ... How you doin? (In my Joey Tribbiani voice)
When my old iPhone finally got reconnected and came back to life, so did many old photos, text messages, voicemails, etc. My mind started racing. Thinking back to where I was nearly 3 years ago ... in the darkest, most negative place I had ever been. Those anxious, depressing, off-putting feelings immediately came back to me … but this time, it was different. This time, I was in control.
I've posted about this before and probably will again, but the reasoning is because it signifies a period in my life where there was struggle. I’m no therapist, but I’m PRIT-TEE sure MOST human beings on this planet face struggle at some point in their lives … Just taking a wild guess.
Well, my struggles were personal. I was insecure, would think too much about the future and focus waaayy too much on the past. As a result, I never lived in the present.
I would worry and plan, thinking if I had an agenda for how my life SHOULD go, the worrying would stop. Simultaneously, while my mind was going berserk about nonsense, I was gaining weight and eating my feelings all while desperately needing attention and self-fulfillment. In all quadrants of my life, I was being neglected. The worst part about it? ... I was the one doing the neglecting.
I let myself live by people's compliments and die by their criticism. I cared more about what everyone else thought about me, my decisions and the path I was on, when in reality, I should've just cared about what I thought and what I needed.
After looking back at the photos I discovered in my old phone, I couldn’t help but put my thoughts down in writing.
There are people out there who say they’re going to do something, start striving towards making it happen, but give up ... and they do this regularly. You know, those people who get so close to accomplishing their goal and right before they're where they SAY they want to be, they quit, slip up or fall back into their old ways? … Well, I know these types of people because I used to be one of them.
We tend to make mistakes on the journey towards a goal when number one, we aren’t in control and number two, we haven’t really defined what our goal is.
I wanted to compete in a body building type of competition years ago, but would get about five weeks out from competing and would never go through with it … that’s because I was doing it for all the wrong reasons. I wasn’t enjoying my journey. I wasn’t in control of my mission.
When we want to accomplish something, let’s say, a goal like weight loss, or even something bigger like overcoming addiction, quitting smoking, being a loyal person, having a better relationship with God, getting away from a crazy ex … whatever it is … we have to define WHY we’re doing it and take control.
We can’t do it JUST because our family wants us to. We can’t do it JUST because we want to prove someone wrong. We can’t do it JUST because we want attention … All of those reasons are surrounded by negativity and that's why we fall short. The fuel to our fire burns out because it's not real. It's not our fuel.
BUT if we get specific with the why WE want to make the change or achieve the goal, all of those other reasons will be justified by the change we’re making for ourselves. We’ll prove others wrong, gain attention, make our family happy and then some … But none of those things will work in our favor if we don’t take control and do it with the right intentions.
The closer we get to being who we are meant to be, the brighter we shine, so when you take a step forward and get pushed back 10, reflect and start over. You're being rerouted. When the one happy moment in your life is followed by five unfortunate ones, stop, reflect and start over. This is another detour. When you face hardships, take those moments to figure out what’s not right in your life … and whatever it is, let it go, reflect and start over. See the pattern?
For every struggle you endure, there is a reason … there is a plan … a far better outcome than you can imagine. It wasn’t until I TRULY loved myself and let go of negativity that things started to fall into place.
When you undergo struggle … in love, in your career, in health, whatever … your skin thickens and that’s great because you become tougher, but you also become numb, bitter, maybe angry … and when that happens, no matter how much you try to hide it, it appears on the outside whether you realize it at the time or not.
It isn’t until you’ve fell down seven times and stood up eight that you can OVERCOME STRUGGLE and finally let go.
When I let go of everything that held me back, it was like, time number 23. But that 23rd time was when I finally found peace. I found happiness. I found a place that made me able and willing to live the life I’ve always wanted, which is a life that makes a difference in the world … that became my reasoning for everything I do … I just want to make a difference.
I want to get married some day because I want to make a difference in my future husband’s life. I want to excel in my career because I want to make a difference in my place of work. I want to be a millionaire while I’m young because I want to have the same level of ambition, work ethic and desire to help others and use that money to make a difference in their lives. I want to be a mother while I’m young because I want to make a difference in my parents’ lives by providing them with grandchildren. I want to buy an old, worn-out house in Delray because I want to fix it and make it beautiful to make a difference in my community and eventually, go back and make a similar difference in my hometown. I started this website as an outlet for me so I can maybe help someone in need with my words and make a difference in his or her life. Everything I do is with the intention to make a difference because that is what is fulfilling to me ... that's how I take control.
And when I got real with my mission, that’s when my life got real with me. My body, after years of struggle and regression, finally achieved the results I had desired and for the first time ever, I am maintaining the weight loss almost effortlessly. I enjoy working out because I want to make a difference in my health so I can live longer for the children I create some day. Full circle.
When we get specific with our goals, our thoughts, our needs and desires, we effortlessly become who we were created to be.
Give yourself a round of applause if you’ve overcome struggle in your life and if you haven’t and you’re feeling disappointed, don’t. Stop, reflect and start over.
To get through the hardest journey, we need only take one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping … and eventually, we’ll be able to define our mission. Take control, get specific and keep pushing. Nothing worth having comes easy … When God sees you doing your part, developing what he has given you, then he will do his part and open doors that no man can shut. KEEP GOING! It may take you years, but if you don't have the mentality to stand back up one more time, you'll never really know what amazing opportunity awaits. Happy Goals!! =)
