Saturday (July 24th, 2010) was the big day I'd been planning and training for the last year and a half. It was my first Figure Competition. Id worked so hard for this day and now, it was finally here.
My lean out began at 16 weeks prior to the show and for the first couple of months didn't really feel like I was seeing any progress with my body changing or dropping weight. It was right around this time however that I discovered the thyroid goof up from my Dr's office. I immediately began the proper dosing for my thyroid and started really seeing changes in my body the last two months of the lean out. I mean, significant changes. Once my levels were corrected I was loosing weight quickly, very quickly. Of course this was due to a combination of my work out and diet regimen in addition to accurate hormone/ TSH levels.
From the time I began my lean out to the time of the show I had dropped a little over 30 lbs. It wasn't easy but I kept my eye and mind on the prize, pushing forward and not quitting. There's a tremendous amount of energy/motivation, a kind of adrenaline you get when pursing a desire you're passionate about. I wasn't going to let anything stop me.
So, the day of the show arrived and if I do say so myself I felt like a million bucks. Besides the crazy tan, I was totally proud of what I'd achieved. Unfortunately my physique just wasn't quite developed enough to place in this show but I honestly have to say I came out a winner regardless. I discovered that I truly enjoyed every part of working towards this goal. I was quite relaxed backstage and enjoyed just being able to observe this new experience. It was an amazing experience and I'm elated that I was relaxed enough to allow myself to have fun during this memorable event in my life. Plus I left with a killer body.... so, absolutely... I left there a winner. Now I know I've found something that I honestly love the pursuit, even when painful, of accomplishing. This thing that I'd only once dreamt about had now become my reality.
We all have the ability to turn possibilities into realities. The journey may not always be easy and you may not always win but you will always, always learn something if you are looking for the opportunities. Life is constantly teaching us lessons and it's up to us to determine how we choose to learn those lessons. There can be "opportunities" in everything, if we know where and how to look at them.
So, excitedly I am back in the gym today (Monday) and prepping for my next show. This one will be a ways out, maybe another 10 months from now but I am looking forward to this new journey and discovering what my body will do next.
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours".
Henry David Thoreau
