Chapter 14

I have been so blessed by the readers of the blog. I have received emails from people I don’t even know telling me how they enjoy reading my post. I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for reading. I know you have busy lives and so many other things you could be doing. Please continue to help the blog grow by forwarding it to others. Also keep the comments and emails coming! Although, we are small in followers the web/blog analytics tell me people are reading. It’s motivation to keep writing.  

Everyone requires motivation or the world would be at a standstill. The fascinating thing about motivation is that it is different for person. At every stage in your life your motivation changes and in my opinion your motivation matures as you mature. When I was a child, I spoke as a child; I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. I think that accurately describes my point.

Your motivation can help you keep your eyes on the prize, but let’s keep it real, it’s hard out here! Your friends come and go, your money gets funny, your boo starts tripping, it seems like every time you turn around there’s a situation shifting your focus and distracts you from your goal. Often times that shift causes us to become discouraged. When a person becomes discouraged they begin to think “was I really supposed to get that prize anyway?” “Was that out of my league?” I am here to tell you that anything you put your mind to, you can achieve. We have to stop doubting ourselves and our abilities.

You have to be able to encourage yourself to keep pushing to accomplish your goals. How can you really expect someone else to push you to finish YOUR goals? People will let you down and forget all about you and what you want to accomplish. Sometimes you just need to give yourself a peep talk. This might sound crazy to some, but evaluate yourself often and determine what do you need to do to help yourself achieve your goals.

I will leave you with this an example. July 4, 2009 I was visiting friends and family in Charlotte, NC and two of my buddies started losing weight a few months before. I felt like I was going to be the only fat guy in the group. I made a decision BEFORE I left Charlotte to lose weight. When I returned back to Nashville I started working out. Keep in mind I hadn’t worked out in years. It was a struggle, I was tied, my chest hurt etc, but the motivation was that I wanted to be healthier. As time went on I didn’t really notice the change in my weight. My workout partners all started to disappear. My friends stopped inviting me out to dinner because I ate too healthy. That discouraged me, but I keep on fighting. I lost 20lbs, then 40lbs, then 80lbs, and LOOK AT ME NOW 100lbs later. I had to encourage myself daily, because I wanted to lose the weight not my friends. It’s that same motivation that keeps me working out 5 days a week and living a healthier lifestyle. AIN'T GOD GOOD!  

I am not saying everyone has to drop 100lbs, but I am saying you can do whatever you put your mind to!



330lbs



228 lbs