It’s hard to put into words how I feel about 2014. There have been obvious highlights and low lights. I love being able to reflect on what went well, what didn’t and how I hope to improve 2015.
The first quarter was really about progress and anticipation. I was making great progress with my fat loss and was preparing to have my skin removal surgery in April. I was able to keep my head down and stay focused because I knew that was right around the corner and I wanted to be as lean as possible for that.
The second quarter was really about recovery and patience. I was healing from surgery and I was preparing to leave my job to start Primal Potential. Since I couldn’t be as active as normal, I had a lot of time to think, plan and structure how I wanted to spend my time once I left my job.
The third quarter was about transition. I went from a high-stress, non-stop corporate job to working from home on my brand new business. It took a while to find my groove. In fact, I don’t think I found it in the third quarter. I switched gyms – a big change for me – and was really working on finding a rhythm that worked for me.
The fourth quarter was where the hard work started. I realized that in order to get the to the last & final phase of my fat loss I was going to have to start doing the EMOTIONAL work. I had become really good at eating clean and working out consistently but I had hit a bit of a roadblock. Though I didn’t want to admit it, I knew that some of my emotional baggage was holding me back from reaching my true potential. I began meditating. I started taking long walks with my dog every day. I focused less on strict nutrition and more on careful observation of my thoughts and inner motivations. I’m still in this process. Though difficult, I know will be incredibly rewarding and will remove any and all artificial limits I’ve placed on myself. I’m learning a lot about myself.
- I’m learning that no matter how much weight I lose, some people still won’t accept me. I am learning that this isn’t a function of my weight, but rather of those other people.
- I am learning that weight loss doesn’t erase my weaknesses but exposes them. Fortunately, once exposed, I can begin to work on them.
- I am learning that I need to look to myself for validation, not other people.
- I am learning that shortcuts double the length of the journey and take you through some nasty places you really ought to avoid.
- I am learning to surround myself with people who want to be a part of my story and not to waste precious energy on people who don’t.
- I am learning that helping other people achieve their goals and transform their lives is the most valuable thing I can do with my time and energy.
- I am learning that I am completely in control of my outlook and my outcomes.
In 2014 I really evaluated myself based on the rate of my weight loss. Sometimes that left me feeling incredible and sometimes it left me feeling defeated. Going into the new year I really want to continue working on evaluating myself based on my consistency, effort & attitude. I want to have more fun, go on more adventures, focus as much on my mental and emotional fitness as I do on my physical fitness.
Yes, I definitely have some body composition goals and I probably always will – I think those are great goals to have! But I also have goals related to my enjoyment of life, related to my business development, related to my personal development and my attitude.
Overall, it has been an epic year for me. I quit my job and sold my house. I launched a new company and began sharing my storing with the world. I’ve written over 500 pages of education, inspiration and documentation of my journey. I’ve become leaner, stronger and most importantly – I’m leaving 2014 with a heightened sense of gratitude and hope.
All of my love & respect.