This picture PERFECTLY illustrates “A Moment of Time” in my life… It’s a moment where I could’ve gone one way or the other. I knew I needed to make a conscious choice to live MY life or I’d fall into the pattern of being someone that I’m not; Someone who followed and did not lead, someone who was 30lbs over-weight, someone who didn’t really believe in herself, and most importantly someone who wasn’t happy. Have you ever hit a moment in time where you knew you had to stop making excuses and start finding solutions?
WARNGING: Proceed with caution. The below TRUTHS and FACTS were written by TOUGH Lacey not the soft and cozy one that’s written the previous posts. I tried to edit it to make it a little softer but in the end I decided against it. I’m Tired of people “editing” what it takes to have a body and life they love. The FACTS are that it’s hard and it takes work every single day. I’m sorry if some of the stuff is hard to hear or a little harsh but I want to touch a nerve and I want you to know that I am here for YOU. If you have a problem with anything post something and lets talk about it, ok? Alright, the below is rated R for maturity, Viewer discretion advised :) :) :)
One more disclaimer: I’ve read TONS of books and I have lots of certifications in Fitness, so it’s suppose to be easy for me right? WWRRROOOOONNGGGG.
MY TRUTH – There’s no easy way to do it, it’s about consistent effort towards something you really want. I was TIRED of being sad and not liking my body so I made a conscious effort every single day to turn my life around. Turning my life around didn’t happen in a blink of an eye… But it DID Happen. Three words that always help me; PASSION – You’ve got to want it, PERSISTENCE – You’ve got to work for it, PATIENCE – It will not happen over night.
MY TRUTH – It’s hard as SH*&$! to turn your life around, to lose weight, to take your career to the next level, to maintain a healthy relationship. I MUST reeaalllyyy want it and have major reasons to back it up otherwise I’ll give-up. It was a hard lesson to learn but for me it’s my truth. I’m consistently writing and re-writing lists of what it is I want. Here’s a question I like to ask myself a lot when I’m feeling overwhelmed or find myself whining in my head about how hard it is… What’s the alternative Lacey? That’s right, you gotta keep BRINGING IT! :)
MY TRUTH – The journey never ends… Once the necessary changes are made, that’s when life starts to happen, that’s when I gotta keep on that track otherwise the changes don’t stick. SCARY TRUTH – There are NO QUICK FIXES, if you want to be a certain way you have to do it FOREVER. That’s life that’s what makes it beautiful and difficult at the same time. It’s a Catch 22; It’s beautiful because you can be, do, or have whatever you want AND it’s hard because no one’s going to hand it to you. If you want it YOU have to go out there and take some risks, ggooooooo get it yourself. One of my favorite quotes – “With GREAT Risk comes GREAT reward.” FACT: If you’re not willing to take risks you will get stuck.
MY HARD TRUTH- Some of my closest friends and family tried to sabotage me consciously and unconsciously. WHY? Because they knew me as I used to be not as I wanted to be. Many of them did not understand or didn’t want to understand me because my changes made them question themselves. Here’s what I did… I felt the fear and did it anyway (That’s a GREAT book by the way “Feel the Fear and do it anyway”). Here’s what I decided; If they were my true friends they’d stick around and if they weren’t they wouldn’t… anndd frankly who needs’em anyway, right? :) I found out that after time passed most of the people came back… anddd My GOD if you do become successful, you will not believe the people who will start calling – http://sweatcity.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/my-first-love/ My Motto – Keep it MOVING!
THE FACTS about THE FACTS 
– I lost close friends… BUT along the way I found New Ones who’re on the same journey. This was a very difficult FACT for me to understand… But once I let my old friends go, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders. I was free to find new friends and I was free to be whoever I wanted to be without someone saying “You’re so different.”
My TRUTH – My new style of life did not fit into my old patterns of living. I had to give up some of my safety blankets. What do I mean? If you’re trying to lose weight and you like to go out drinking on the weekends that may or may not work. If you can’t find a way to go out without drinking in the beginning stages of a weight-loss program you WILL NOT lose the weight and you will not be or feel successful. Alcohol created a huge problem for me when I wanted to change my body, be serious in my career, and find a woman that was more than a one night stand or an adventurous couple of months. Sooooo, I stopped drinking… I found that changed everything for me… My focus, my drive, my life. MY ADVICE: When beginning a weight loss journey you should consider staying in on Friday and Saturday nights. Being disciplined and making sacrifices are two things you need to learn if you want to make BIG! life changes.
MY TRUTH – I needed to spend time alone. In order to be strong in my Self. I needed to know and understand “who am I?”, “what do I stand for?” Running away from me was never going to make me feel in control of my Self and my life.
MY TRUTH – I needed to ask myself the HARD questions – What’s important to me, what do I want out of life, why do I want these things? I needed to have the answers to these questions. WHY? If I didn’t know where I wanted to go how did I expect to get there? Knowing the answers to difficult questions like these were crucial in turning my life around. Whenever I questioned my life I would go back to these questions, what I had written and I instantly knew I was on the right path. A good book with some great questions is “Good to GREAT”… It’s a business book BUT what’s the difference? I like to think of myself as a company- Lacey Stone, INC… If I want to be a well run company I need to know what I stand for, right?
MY TRUTH – I needed one good friend to help me get through this. I didn’t need a group of girls or a lover, but I did need someone who would listen to me. This process is not easy to go at without the support of other people on the same journey. I found some of my closet friends at Equinox, Thank YOU (To everyone at Equinox thank you… my clients, my gamers, my bootys, my spinners, you help me to believe anything’s possible) annddd thank you Mom and Dad, of course
MY TRUTH – Every SINGLE moment matters. Here’s what I do, I make a list every single day of what I want to accomplish. The list has personal, professional, and relationship goals. Every day I work towards these goals. BALANCE: A lot of times the goals get out of balance. One area will become more prominent than an other BUT the important thing for me is that I know what my goals are. Sssoooo, if I get a little outta whack I can take immediate action to correct the imbalance. Knowing where I want to go gives me immense confidence and helps me to stay centered in my life. If I don’t know who I want to be and where I want to go of course I’m going to feel on edge. EVERY DAY matters, every hour, every minute, every second. Know where you want to go and MAKE IT HAPPEN.
MY TRUTH – Once I worked hard towards reaching my goals… I’m talking a year or two under your belt; I’d lost the 30lbs, got signed by Reebok, did a Nike Event, started my own company, met Jessica…. ONCE I started to see all these successes personally and professionally I knew I was on the right track. I’d built a strong sense of self and an undeniable confidence. People started describing me in a way I’d never been described before. They said I was happy and the fact was that some how it had become true. For the first time in my life… I Lacey Stone was happy. It’s not an easy road my friends. EASY is never a word I’ll use to describe the process of changing my life. I would describe it as HARD as HELL, however it’s Sooooo WORTH IT…. AND once I made it past a point, crossed the line between old Lacey and new Lacey, there was no turning back. I had changed forever.
My TRUTH – Anything is possible if you have the courage to pursue it.
Was this dose of my reality a little too harsh… Have you ever turned something in your life around?
