Today ...I'm a Rock Star

Okay ... so here it is ... the hard work and perseverance over not just the last push of 60 days, but of a transformation that started June 3, 2015 for my daughters wedding.

​I know this sounds cliché, but I really do feel as though there has been a complete shift for me. Not just in the way that I feel and in how I look, but the things that have come into my life because of the choice I made to make this change.

​In this journey, I learned a few things ...

​I have recognized my downfalls and my triggers, what challenges my willpower and I guess over all what I'm made of. Bottom line is this ... I'm made of more than I thought. It's not that I don't already put 200% into everything that I do, but I guess I realized that I could do that for myself as well. I always left my personal health and wellness to the very last because seemingly, I could justify that I had no time left in my day. As a mother, as a business owner, as a work fiend with 5 jobs ... I was in that mode that I could justify not spending the time or money on myself.

​I realized that if I'm not 100% healthy, and I don't have enough energy or brain power to function at all of those things then I'm not helping anyone. What I have done in the last 9 months is put a price tag not only on my health but on my piece of mind. Not sure why I wasn't doing this before. I guess, sometimes it just takes a smack in the head. And ... you have to really want to make a change.

​Truth is, I haven't found making this change all that hard, in fact it was easy ... the working out is a stretch for me, but now that I'm doing it, I love it. I think the even greater consequence of making this change in my own life, is the ripple effect that it has had on so many others. My entire family and extended family, my friends, old acquaintances and many new, have all enjoyed the same changes in their lives. THAT is what is the most gratifying for me. Changing and improving someone else's life in some way, shape or form.

​I have also realized on a coaching level, that people that are not ready to make a change, will find any reason not to. There is no amount of coaching that can help them along their own journey. I've realized that I although I can motivate and encourage, I cannot drag. What's that old saying? "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink." That sums it up. The will and the where-with-all has to come from within. I found mine. Others just need to find theirs. I really encourage all of you to dig deep and realize that you really can do this. And... if you want my help, I'm here.

​I think it was so important for me personally to have that whole accountability piece. I will say that over and over and over again. This M.O.B. Project has truly altered my life. Everyone that has ever watched, commented, encouraged and joined, has given me the stamina not to fail, it has kept me on the straight and narrow. That and goal setting.

​Oh ... and getting into a bikini.

​I think the interesting part is that there are many people that have been silently watching over the last 9 months, just to see if I could do it and if it was sustainable. Many people are conservative in their thoughts and want to make sure that before they stick their toe in the pot, they know what they are getting into. So ... here are the results. Nine months and still down 30 pounds, I've got muscle, energy and I feel like a fricking rock star. I think that is proof enough, well it is for me anyhow.

​Personally, I feel like I have a new lease on life. The opportunities that this project has brought on are many. The one that I have to say I feel the most fortunate about is my new and extended group of friends, many of which are now on the M.O.B. Project. Many of these people, I would never have had the opportunity to chat with, never mind encourage them daily in some of their struggles. It brings people together. Not only that, The group that I coach with, AMAZING! When I say, "surround yourself with those that raise you up a level", I mean it. In all levels of life. This gang is exactly that, positive, motivated, full of life and energy ... yup ... can't get enough of that. Not only that ... they WANT you to succeed. Imagine that? Both personally and in business they push me to be the best I can be and I push them right back. THAT is rare these days.

​The other parts of my business are now soaring, coaching is what I was meant to do ... CharisOnStyle is rocking it. I get so much gratification and pleasure out of what I do and in the end, that is about seeing a beaming smile on someone's face because they too feel like a million bucks.

​This picture is what I feel the result of all my hard work. I don't feel the need to do a before and after, because you've all seen the before, but many have not seen the after. This project has lead to yet another which I will be introducing shortly called the #brickwalls project. I think you will all enjoy what's going to be coming out in that piece. This picture, isn't for you, it's for me. It's a reminder that I DID IT! It's a reminder every single day that I don't want to go back to how I felt before, 50 has been a stellar year for me and I'm anticipating it's just going to get better.

Thanks to Ian McCausland for this photoshoot and these pictures that sealed the deal for me. They encourage me to keep going and they are a reminder every day of how great 50 is. This photoshoot, is what we do with all of our CharisOnStyle clients for this reason. First of all, it's a hell of a lot of fun, secondly, it truly is a celebration of who you are. If no one else ever looks at your pictures, it really doesn't matter. What matters is that you see them, you appreciate who you are, see the light that is beaming through ... it is a reminder to hold true to that.

​Truth is... I cried when I saw my pics.

​Not for the reasons you think, even though I knew how far I'd come, how hard I worked, I still don't think I SAW what I had become.

HAPPY.

​Then ... I thanked Ian.

"For what?" he said.

​My response ...

​"You made me feel beautiful."