Several years ago, I moved from my small hometown in Georgia, where I grew up, to Los Angeles after graduating from high school in hopes of pursuing an acting career.
But after taking acting classes for an academic year, I decided to give college one more try and then enrolled at a two-year institution in Culver City, California.
It was a hard road. I was completely on my own, with no financial help from my parents, making ends meet by working at a popular Los Angeles mall. Despite that, I managed to maintain an AB average even in the midst of working 40+ hours a week. I didn’t have a car or a cell phone for a while. And I lived with a good friend in an apartment the size of a matchbox. Life had gotten pretty tough for this small-town country girl.
It was probably the most humbling, but at the same time the most rewarding moments of my life, but I was doing it. And you can be sure that I learned a lot about myself along the way. Most importantly, I experienced for the first time in my life the very essence of the saying: “If there is a will, there is a way.”
The good thing about the three years I spent in Los Angeles was during which I earned an associate’s degree in liberal arts and finally got accepted to the four-year college of my choice. The bad news is that I gained about 40 pounds along the way.
Yes that’s how it is. How did I gain so much weight, you may be wondering? Basically, she lived on a poor college student’s diet, which consisted mostly of select items from the McDonald’s dollar menu and high-sodium microwavable meals.
Although, later in the summer, just before making the trip to Washington, DC, I decided to lose weight. For a whole year, I avoided all kinds of fast food. You couldn’t catch me stationed at a drive-through window. You also couldn’t catch me eating the sweets I often crave. In fact, he was on the road to redemption.
I went to the gym with a determination and training ethic that rivaled that of a professional athlete. (Okay. Maybe not as intense, but it sure felt like it.) A year had passed and I had lost every ounce of the 40 pounds I had gained, and got lean and trim.
You’re probably wondering what all this has to do with racing, living your dreams, and becoming successful. Well, I’ll tell you.
To remember? “If there is a will there is a way.”
After failing miserably to pursue a career as an aspiring actress and becoming so disillusioned with the idea anyway, I made the bold decision to pursue my academic goals and earn a college degree. Most people would have given up. But I think not.
I didn’t know how I was going to pay for it. He didn’t know anything about financial aid and whether he would be eligible for it. She didn’t even have good study skills; in fact, she could barely write a decent essay. I struggled with anxiety and lost entire nights of sleep when I had to turn in assignments.
Did I want to give up?
Safe.
I made?
Of course, no.
Why not?
Because I made a simple decision. To succeed.
I imagined the end result. I became unwavering in my faith. In short, he was determined.
Likewise, after packing on extra weight eating fried fast food, I made a firm decision to lose weight and get healthy. And I did it.
We all have the ability to flip the switch that puts us in the frame of mind to do whatever it is that we want to accomplish in life. But most of us choose not to. Those who have not settled in mediocrity. Others have simply given up.
But when you stand up for yourself, I’ve found that nothing can stop you from achieving your goals. That’s not to say that the road ahead will be free of twists and turns, difficult challenges, and uphill battles. But it does mean that when you are strong-willed, courageous, bold, and courageous in your decisions, nothing will stop you, not even life’s inherent obstacles.
But let me ask you… Are you getting in the way of your own progress? Are you sabotaging your own success? Have you given up? Friend, your victory could be waiting for you just around the corner. I firmly believe that setbacks are simply preparations for a comeback.
If you can answer ‘yes’ to at least one of the following questions, chances are you are setting up obstacles of your own.
- Do you focus too often on what you can’t do, instead of what you can?
- Do you obsess over making someone else look so talented, instead of tapping into your own gifts?
- Are you driven and motivated, but lack focus and discipline?
- Do you give up too soon, going back even further?
- Opportunities come along, but you eventually talk yourself out of accepting the opportunity to move forward because you perceive it as a challenge?
- Do you constantly downgrade your experience or education because of insecurity?
- Do you take a backseat and let others accept leadership roles?
- Do you compromise and make unsettling decisions to appease or please others?
Today is the day to turn your thinking around and, with it, transform your actions. Start thinking more positively. And when negative thoughts start to creep in, turn them off immediately by training your mind to counter unproductive and unflattering beliefs about yourself.
Furthermore, resolve to do in life only what is true for you. If something doesn’t seem right, take a moment and ask yourself “Why does this moment feel unsettling?” That feeling could save you from a wrong turn.
don’t give up Continue fighting negativity as bad thoughts can paralyze you and further hinder your progress. Before you know it, you will be walking through life’s obstacles with positive and faithful thinking, and you will discover that your success has always been within your reach.