You are just you

While running this morning, I had a thought about how people sometimes feel about health and fitness, because I get the same thoughts myself. In a lot of ways, most of us are very alike with the way we think and process life. The differences that exist are based on the fact that individual people decide, that they will do something unique ...for themselves.

I thought about how intimidating the whole world at large can be to each and every one of us because within it, there are so many truly magnificent beings, doing amazingly wonderful things -- renowned artists, musicians, geniuses, doctors, scientists, innovative techno folks, health and fitness gurus..... teachers of the year, pilates divas, CEOs, Commander-in-Chiefs....

Often times, we praise these people for their huge successes, their unfathomable dedication, their on-going determinations, and sometimes, we consider ourselves so small in comparison to them and their achievements.

This attitude may be the very attitude that prevents us from creating our own dreams and setting our own goals. For some, it prevents them from thinking they could ever have a chance for something better.

It's so important that we NOT buy into that type of deceptive thinking. We all must be praised, and we all must seek our OWN inner focus to achieve whatever it is we want to do. We all don't want to be the same....

And with that... we should not all look the same either. The only thing we should try to all do is feel healthy which leads to feeling good, happy and WANTING to live life to the fullest.

How many times have we seen people who have rushed to get something that someone else had (duplicate someone else's lifestyle) and end up miserable? How many people do we meet who just say, "that will never be me" and so they don't even try. They pretend to the outside world that they are not interested, and all the while, inside they "wish."

So you have a friend who is a size 2 and you think, "I will never be a size 2." We are all not supposed to be a size 2, plain and simple. For the women that care, not all men want a woman who is a size 2. Men are not all supposed to be 225lbs with rippling muscles. There are a lot of women that appreciate such a man, but there are many women that say, "no thank you."

The YOU that YOU are is an amazing person. Me personally, I believe in God, and I believe we were all intended to be a little different from each other --- noses, hips, legs, heads... Your goal is not to measure up to your best friend, or the women/men in the magazines. Your goal should simply be to be the BEST you that YOU can be. That is it.

Back to my thoughts while running this morning... I was thinking about how many times I heard people say, "I can't run fast." Running fast is certainly not the goal. People get discouraged about doing certain things because they get a thought in their head (based on what they hear and pictures they see) that if you are a runner, you should run at a certain speed. When they believe such things, they say, "well, I can't run, and I won't go out and embarass myself."

Most of us are certainly NOT natural born athletes by no stretch of the imagination. We have had to work hard to where we are today. That is the goal... to just work a little each day to get to a better place.

It's so important to not look at the pictures or listen to the numbers and use that as a guideline to figure out where you want to get to. You fail before you start because it seems impossible and you get discouraged.

This is why so many people don't even try to START their new program. They get too caught up with what the others do... how the others look. Fast forward to the finished product and leave out all the pertinent "stuff" that happened along the journey................ not good!

For those out there who are still trying to decide how to get started, and still feeling a bit helpless or even hopeless.......... START WITH YOU and only YOU.

Leave out the pills, the airbrushed magazine pictures and articles promising you stuff that is not reality, forget the starvation diet..... get back to truth and believe in YOU.

Map out your steps....
Create your focus on what you want for YOU.
Create your own enthusiasm.......
Get a really good SOMEBODY to hold your hand and to encourage you...

If you get up today and you can walk 1 or 2 miles.... that is YOUR start. You go from there... making YOUR steps.... We do not care at all if your sister or best friend is running a half-marathon tomorrow morning. That's not your concern.

Take your journey, feel your journey, praise yourself for each and every accomplishment you make, big or small.......... and stay on it...

It's personal and it's for you...only to be measured by you....

Eventually, as you make your achievements, you will love yourself...

As you are smiling and loving life..... those folks around will be happy for you and share in your delight!