For nearly 30 years I had a life most would envy. I was married with two children. My children attended private school. I quit my job at 40. I lived in an elegant home, drove expensive cars, and went on several trips a year. My life was far from perfect but, it did have perfect moments.
Then two years ago everything changed. When my husband died suddenly from a heart attack. In a split second with no warning, life as I knew it was never going to be the same ever again.
And here is where my story begins. I am not sharing my story for sympathy, compassion, or judgement. I am simply sharing my story to begin healing. Therefore, if your reading this I ask for your patience and understanding.
So……What do you do when your life takes you in a different direction. And doesn’t quite turn out as planned. Well, first of all you wake up every morning grateful for the blessings you have in your life. And you trust that every day you will have the courage to be a stronger more confident person than you were the day before.
I am not the same person today as I was a year ago. And I`m nothing like the person who experienced tragedy two years ago. You will rarely see me without a smile on my face. I have learned that I have the power to handle each challenge that I am faced with daily. I do not have control over circumstances, people or situations that I am confronted with daily. But I do have control over my actions and reactions to all of the above.
Grief and loss is not new to me. My first child was born premature and unfortunately passed away just hours after his birth. I can’t begin to explain the heartache of losing a child. But somehow by the grace of God I managed to march on. I am thankful for the life I have now with my two grown children.
Health and fitness has always been a substantial part of my life. Whenever I felt lost or alone. I could enter the gym and feel a sense of courage, strength and empowerment. With whichever situation, I was struggling to endure. The feeling I got when I was lifting weights in the gym seemed to relieve any anxiety and uncertainty I was experiencing. To this day I feel a sense of calmness and contentment when I train. One of the reasons I became a personal trainer was to share my passion for fitness and communicate the significance of a balanced lifestyle with others. The other reason was I was forced to quit my job due to a chronic medical condition. Its true some choices in life we don’t make for ourselves they are made for us. We can choose to allow our circumstances to define us or defeat us. Throughout my journey of self discovery, I have learned to accept the things I cannot change. I have realized that each and every one of us are faced with challenges daily. How we react to those challenges is pivotal to ones, vitality. I am on a mission to become the best version of me. So, I can help others become the best versions of themselves.
What I have learned through this whole process. All my past experiences have brought me here to you. My commitment to fitness and the well being of each individual client I am privileged to serve. I hope my story inspires you to take notice of your own health, fitness and life goals. And realize whatever difficult situation your are going through in life is only temporary. You can be the person you want to be. Your experiences will give you the strength and determination to live the life you have dreamed about. Live in the moment. Surround yourself with well intentioned individuals that bring you peace and happiness. And lastly, never regret anything that made you smile. 🙂
Side note: I wrote this on the second anniversary of my husbands passing. I feel like I have grown so much more as an individual in the three months since I first wrote this. I suppose time has away of healing. I have also set some very big goals for myself in 2019. I`m not quite ready to share them yet. But, I am working hard to be the best version of me for 2019. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. If this post has inspired you in anyway to achieve your own goals or you just want to chat I’m here to listen with no judgement. 🙂