How to Love Others by Loving Yourself

Today's journey will begin with learning to love yourself so your positive spirit can spill over to those you come in touch with. You can than feel confident that you are living God's second greatest commandment to "love others as you love yourself."

How great would that be if we just learned to challenge ourselves to first love ourselves? Not in a selfish or prideful way, but loving what God has created, in the way He created it. It really isn't as difficult as it may sound. It takes a goal, focus, accountability and no room for excuses. 

Almost a year ago I had a goal to start taking my weight gain seriously. As a child I grew up very overweight, and because of that, I have struggled with my weight my entire life. The last couple years I've gained 30 pounds some how and I had grown to have a very bad opinion and view of myself. With a vacation coming on the horizon I was determined!  Not that I needed to have a models figure to feel good about myself, but I wanted to feel fit again and to have the energy level I used to have before these added 30 pounds. 

Your body is a tremendous gift that God lends to you so that you can use it for his glory. 

My journey shifted! I found a new workout at a great gym. It's a boxing and cardio gym called 9Round Fitness. Importantly, it was a great fit for me! The routine kept me interested, it was fast, intense, and I had great trainers. I became determined to make this change and put it at the top of my priority list. After several months of consistent, hard work, I began to see result. I soon started dropping inches and pounds until I hit the 20 pound mark!

It's funny how quickly you begin to rediscover a sense of confidence and energy that is some how lost when you put your health on the back burner.  Today I'm feeling better about myself, and I'm engaging more with people around me. I feel re-energized on life and that energy and revitalized spirit flows onto others.  This new view on life has become a light to others, even inspirational. 

I'm not going to disillusion you that it was easy because it's not. I do have some advice to get you going:

• GOALS - Set a goal (pounds, inches, consistency).
• FIT - Find the RIGHT workout. If the workout you're doing isn't motivating you or keep you interested, then you will stop doing it. Keep switching and trying new things until you find the RIGHT fit. 
• ACCOUNTABILITY - Find a partner to hold you accountable. If it wasn't for my friend Michelle, I probably would have quit several times. She encouraged me to go and visa versa. Having an accountability partner is critical! 
• NO EXCUSE - Don't make excuses. There is always a reason not to work out. Stop making excuses and just do it. I was able to workout a minimum of 4 days a week even when I was in the middle of building a new day care. I prioritized my day to make sure I kept 30 minutes to strengthening my health. My workout clothes were always in my car and I scheduled my workouts on my calendar just like any other appointment. 

You may not need to lose weight but I encourage you to do what you can to stay fit. Keep positive about your physical health! I realize how you feel physically is only a small piece of loving yourself but it can be a good start. 

Start your new journey today to love yourself so you can love your neighbor!

---

Goal. Focus. Accountability.No Excuses.