Hey there. I spent most of my life chasing external worth without even realizing it. I got praised early on for doing things the right way, for performing, for achieving, for being productive. Maybe you can relate. Somewhere along the way we learned that if we fit in and did what others expected, we would be accepted. So we watched what everyone else was doing. We matched our actions to theirs. We tried not to rock the boat.
Read MoreHey there. I used to think there was one big moment that made me feel like I wasn’t enough. One moment where something happened or someone said something and that was it. The truth is that feeling this way usually comes from a lifetime of small experiences. Little comments. Quiet disappointments. Rejections that seemed minor at the time. They collect in the background of your mind until they build a story that feels impossible to shake.
Read MoreHey there. I used to spend a lot of time comparing my progress to other people.
I would look at what they were doing, how fast they were moving, and how much they seemed to achieve. And every time I did that, I felt like I was behind. Like I was not doing enough. Like there was something wrong with my pace. It took me a long time to realize that none of this was true. I was not behind. I was running my own race.
Read MoreHey there. I spent a lot of years talking about what I wanted without actually doing anything about it. I told myself the timing wasn’t right or I needed to feel more motivated or I needed the perfect plan. All that did was keep me stuck in the same patterns that gave me the same results. Looking back, I wasn’t lacking the ability to take action. I was just wasting time convincing myself that I needed something more than what I already had.
Read MoreHey there. One of the most freeing things I’ve learned over time is that most people only know parts of me, and that’s okay. It used to bother me when someone got the wrong impression, especially if I felt like they misunderstood who I really was or what I was trying to do. I’d want to explain myself. I’d want to fix their perception. But that was wasted energy. People are going to think what they want to think, no matter how much I try to clarify or prove otherwise.
Read MoreHey there. I spent years waiting for the right time to start. The right time to eat better. The right time to get back into a workout routine. The right time to finally go after something I wanted in life. But the truth I eventually learned is that there is no right time. There’s only now. Every time I waited for things to calm down or for the perfect plan to fall into place, I was really just putting off taking responsibility for my life.
Read MoreHey there. There’s something freeing about realizing that most people only ever enjoy the idea of you. The version that fits into their expectations, their comfort zone, or their perception of who you are supposed to be. And honestly, that’s okay. You don’t owe the full version of yourself to everyone.
Read MoreHey there. I don’t want you to look back one day and realize you spent years trying to become someone you thought you were supposed to be instead of embracing who you already are. I’ve seen too many people chase the perfect plan, the perfect body, or the perfect moment, only to end up feeling like they wasted time. Fitness is supposed to help you live more fully, not make you feel like you’re constantly falling short.
Read MoreHey there. There’s a point in every journey where you realize that nobody can hand you the exact roadmap for your life. That’s true in fitness, and it’s true in everything else. You can listen to advice, gather information, and even follow someone’s plan for a while. But eventually, you have to trust yourself enough to decide what’s right for you. That’s where real progress starts.
Read MoreHey there. When most people start a fitness journey, they focus on the tactics. What workout should I do? What foods should I eat? How many steps should I take each day? Those are all valid questions, but the longer I’ve been doing this, the more I’ve realized that the thought process driving those tactics “the personal philosophy behind them” is what really shapes long-term success.
Read MoreHey there. It’s taken me a long time to accept that some people just won’t like me. Not because I did anything wrong. Not because I’m a bad person. But simply because of who I am and how I live. That used to bother me a lot. I would replay conversations in my head and wonder what I could’ve said differently or how I could’ve presented myself in a way that made them like me more. But no matter how hard I tried, there were always going to be people who didn’t see me the way I saw myself.
Read MoreHey there. For a long time, I thought strength meant keeping a wall up. I told myself that if someone hurt me, the best way to deal with it was to show them I didn’t care or to find a way to make them feel what I felt. But the truth is, that kind of reaction never healed anything. It only made the pain louder inside me.
Read MoreHey there. There was a point where I thought the next achievement would finally make me feel enough. The next goal weight, the next PR in the gym, the next work milestone, the next version of myself that somehow felt more acceptable. But no matter how many boxes I checked, that feeling never came the way I expected. It wasn’t because I wasn’t progressing. It was because I was trying to earn something that had always been mine.
Read MoreHey there. There are moments when I catch myself getting lost in the details of progress. How much work have I done this week? How close am I to the next goal? How many steps did I get in today? These questions matter, but lately, I’ve been reminding myself to take a step back and just appreciate the fact that I can move. That I get to show up. That I get another day.
Read MoreHey there. I see it all the time and I know you do too. Social media is a story. At best, it props up the best elements of our life. At worst, it is a fake, surface level depiction of something that does not reflect reality. If you spend your time comparing your life to what you see scrolling through your feed, you are going to miss out on what is right in front of you. And eventually, you will be miserable.
Read MoreHey there. I used to think that if I just kept moving, kept distracting myself, and kept piling on new goals, I could outrun the feelings that made me uncomfortable. What I’ve learned over the years is that you cannot outrun yourself. If you are not calm on the inside, the chaos always finds a way to catch up. It might take years, even decades, but eventually that inner noise demands your attention.
Read MoreHey there. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that you can do anything you want in life. You are your own main character. That means you get to decide the plot twists, the direction, and the way you show up every single day. The people you worry are watching and judging? Most of them are too busy focusing on their own story to care about yours. And if they are spending time worrying about you, it usually comes from a place where their self-esteem is so low that it really doesn’t hold any weight in your life.
Read MoreHey there. There’s something I’ve learned after years of working with people “in fitness and other areas”. I don’t try to convince anyone to change.
Read MoreHey there. On my wall there’s a quote that says, “Many people would give up at this exact moment, in this exact situation. I’m choosing to keep going.” Every time I read it, I’m reminded that the difference between stopping and moving forward often comes down to a single choice. That choice might feel small in the moment, but it changes everything.
Read MoreHey there. There will be moments in life when it’s simply your turn. You might not feel ready, you might not feel qualified, and you might be filled with doubt. But when that moment arrives, the best thing you can do is step forward and take action. Waiting until you feel completely ready only keeps you standing still, and growth never happens in place.
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