The Power of Choice

We all have choices. There will always be a fork in the road and we will have to choose which path to go down. Go down path A or path B? Each “path” or choice we make will give us a different outcome.  Some of us chose a certain “path” because it’s easier – a straight shot that is easy, flat and comfortable. Others of us chose the more difficult path that requires work – lots of hills, twists and turns that take us out of our comfort zone. Most people choose the easy choice, because it’s predictable and there are no surprises. We know the route and it’s familiar to us. It’s scary to step away from what we “know” and do something that is different.

It’s 5 am and the alarm goes off. You can chose to stay in bed, hit the snooze button and go back to sleep like you do every morning or you can choose to put both feet over the side of the bed, lace up your shoes and head off to the gym. It’s dinner time. You can pick up the phone and order a pizza for delivery or you can take a few minutes to make a healthy meal and take the leftovers to work the next day. It’s a choice. Take the easy route and stay exactly where you are in life, or take harder more rewarding route that takes a little bit of work but will take you to where you want to be. It’s a choice that you have to make for yourself. Do you really want to feel better, have more energy and live a better quality of life or are you content doing what you are currently doing right now and never experience what will happen if you take the more challenging road?

I decided to go down the challenging path and it has taken me to places I could have NEVER dreamed of. I have pushed my body to its limits, ran half marathons, climbed to the top of a mountain, completed in strength competitions and I have an incredible job where I am able to be a part of so many people’s journey into health and fitness. I know if I continue to take the more difficult road in life, I will experience so much more than I can imagine. It will not be easy and at times I will want to quit. There will always be gooie pieces of “chocolate cake” and a warm cozy bed in my way, but if I side step the obstacles and continue to put one foot in front of the other, the journey will be worth it.

Make this your mantra for the month: “TODAY I am choosing to live a healthier lifestyle and I am going to stick to it. Yes there will be bad days and slip ups, but that happens to the best of us. I cannot and will not let that get in the way of something that I want. I deserve to have the life I want and I am willing to work for it. NO EXCUSES!”