Goals and failure - don't give up

I have made a lot of mistakes over the years, but somehow everything turned out alright. When something doesn't happen according to your plans, something better is hiding around the corner. And just because things aren't happening as you wish, or right now, you must refuse to give up. 

One of the most important life lesson is to keep going when the road has bumps. Life is testing you, your strength, motivation and will power. It is ensuring that what you aim for is really your life purpose. The process does not go smoothly and fast, but it will be worth every step and drop of sweat. 

It doesn't matter what your goal is; searching for a job, studying to get into college, trying to loose weight, becoming a better person, turning your life around...anything and anyone needs motivation to continue. And yes, sometimes it is hard to stay focused. And yes, sometimes you want to give up. And yes, that is alright. If you fall of the wagon, or think of giving up, please just don't. Success is not blowing in your face. Getting into college will not 'just' happen. Those ten pounds will not disappear today. However, it is you who is mostly in control of reaching that goal. 

You can turn your dreams into a reality. You can have the success you long for. And finally you can tell other people; ''I told you I could do it''.

Do it for the person who said you couldn't do it. Do it for your parents who didn't believe in you. Do it for you! For all those times you wanted to quit. For all those times you thought you were a loser because you had no motivation. For the times that nobody believed in you. Turn that mental button in your head and go for it! 

If you fall down and are frustrated, that is a moment to prove yourself that you can do it. Don't let that little voice in your head tell you; 'you cannot do it, you aren't that strong, you aren't that good, you aren't that fit'. Prove everyone, including yourself, wrong. And when that moment happens, be proud of yourself. You could do it. It was a long road, but worth everything!

Have a goal in mind, believe in yourself, remove yourself from people that don't support you, and give it 110%. 

Motivation struggles - Fitness

I want to talk about motivation, something that pushes us to do things we usually don´t feel like doing. Today I lacked motivation, a lot, to go to the gym. I had set my mind to go after school, packed my bag and other stuff. But when school was finished I found myself moving the opposite direction, going home. I was so not motivated to go, I just didn´t care. Now that I am writing this I feel like a loser. Why did I not go? Why do I feel so lazy now, and like a failure. I told myself on Saturday and Sunday that I would go on Monday for sure. And now I didn't. And like one time is such a big deal, but the same thing happened to me last week. I was so motivated, and now I don't care any more. 

So I need to go back to the beginning, when I was so motivated and able to encourage myself everyday to go. Why did I started working out? To loose some weight and being able to fit old clothes. To be in the best shape I had ever been in and to feel confident and happy. I have lost track since 2-3 weeks, and want to go back to my schedule before. I think the biggest reason for me quitting was that I wasn't loosing any weight at all. It is so frustrating, I changed my diet, worked out hardcore but did not loose anything, I actually gained three pounds. And I know what they say, you probably gained muscle and lost inches. My body is definitely tighter but stepping onto that scale every week and not seeing any result made my heart drop. I want to change my focus of loosing weight into being confident and having a fit body. In my case that is much more realistic and doable. I am not overweight, but just feel better when I would loose a couple of pounds. 

My new goals
1. Fit into old clothes
2. Feeling confident
3. Being stronger
4. Being in the best possible shape I have ever been
5. Being happy --> When you are happy on the inside it shows on the outside. 

One verse I always tell myself, probably everyday is 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me'. That means that there is something each day that I am struggling with and have no motivation to do. It is a verse for encouragement, motivation and fearing no fear.  

And Matthew tells us

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

For other people it can be so easy to tell you things; do it, you will feel better. But ultimately, you need to find motivation from yourself. And when found from within, you will feel so proud when accomplished. We all need to do tasks, or give ourselves a list of things to do. But actually doing them is the hard part. Think of tomorrow, or a week from now. How are you going to feel when you do them today? Or how are you going to feel when you don't do them? How you want to feel next week is up to you. So do it today and feel better next week. Do it today and you will have no regrets. 

I AM going to the gym tomorrow. I WILL do a home workout tonight, and will give my everything to keep on going. 

Hugs from the biggest procrastinator of all times

Body image

I was talking with one of my friends the other day about how our view on what we perceive as ''beautiful'' has changed over the years. In the early days people were rich and fertile when they carried some extra pounds, and now it is exactly the opposite. I have to admit I let it affect myself more than I would like to admit. 

Looking at this picture, I absolutely love it. Girls in different sizes, with an smile on their face. Isn't that whats important in life? But then how did we get such different expectations on our looks. Why do we advertise that people with a size 0 are happier and more successful in life, let alone healthier. In the end it is about taking care of your own body and fueling it with the energy and nutrients it needs to grow strong. It is such a shame that the media is telling all of us to loose some pounds. Maybe for health reasons yes, not for someone else. But when we are healthy and happy, there is no need to change anything about our looks! Why do magazines and celebrities show us so many unhealthy choices? Our body is a temple, we only have one and need to care for it. 

I found this picture on the internet and wish I'd found it when I was younger. Read it, and perhaps save it onto your computer. Have a look at it every once in a while. I made a list of the things I like about my body, and some things I am insecure about. I focus on the things I like, even though that is harder than point out your 'negative' sides. 

At last I want to say that every person is beautiful, unfortunately the media has created this 'perfect' human being that does not exist but we should all strive for. This is sad and it takes a lot for a person to feel comfortable in their own skin. When I notice an insecure person, I like to give them a compliment about something. A genuine one. It can literally save a person from throwing up, or not eating their dinner that night. Tell a random stranger or a distant friend this week a positive compliment. This might be the only positive thing they will hear that week. 

With love,

a not size 0 -Jessica