Chris's Journey #50: The New (Year) and the Old (Navy)

I know I have not written much as of late and there is not much of a reason for it, except that I have not had much to say. I really have thought about what to write, but no words have come out. Call it writer’s block or whatever you want; the words have not come, so I have not written. Until this week.

It is the start of a new year, 2015 and big things are on the horizon for me this year. So I wanted to reflect all the way back to issue #11 which was my beginning blog of 2014. In that blog post I wrote some goals out that I wanted to accomplish, both short and long term. I wanted to go over those goals and give you an update on how I am doing.

• Walk my first 5K. The Color Run…February 15, 2014! – I did do this! It was not The Color Run, it was the River Day Run 8k and 5K. It was an amazing experience. I had so many friends come out to support me. It was my first of many 5Ks! • Able to walk unafraid of not finishing at the 2014 March for Babies 5K. (May 2014) – I ended up not walking the March for Babies last year. I did however walk in over 10 5Ks over the course of 2014. I am even walking a full 5K in under an hour now! • Thinking and feeling that I am good enough for that woman to ask her out, and know if she says no, it is not because I am fat and not worthy. – I did this too! I had the courage and positive feelings about myself to ask a woman out on June 13, 2014! She said yes, and there is more to come on this one. • Go in to Old Navy and buy a shirt. – I just did this one before the end of the year. I bought two sweatshirts that are 2X and they fit great. • Go to any store I want to and buy clothes in it, instead of being able to go to only one store. – I am doing this on a regular occasion too now. Pants are still a little difficult for me to buy, but I am getting there! • Finish the Gate River Run 15K (long term visual goal). – This one is still to possibly do. The more I work out and lose weight, I am not sure I want to accomplish this or something else. More to come! • Buy a suit and feel confident that I look good in it and not “fat man in a tiny coat”. – Not yet, although I got some hand me down suits from a friend that I am anxious to try out. Plus, I might need a new suit on August 8, 2015. • Eating properly at almost every meal with the occasional splurge and not splurge at every meal with the occasional eating properly. – I am doing this almost every day. I have splurged a little in the holiday season, but I am still eating far less than I once did. • Not feeling shameful over my weight ever again. – This is a learning process for me. I am working to not feeling shameful. • Celebrate with friends (not food) every 25 days of walking. (I already did this one once!) – I am not doing this as much, but walking is not the focus as much anymore. Working out and being healthy is the focus. But I still enjoy walking! • Celebrate at every marathon I walk during this journey (every time I walk more than 26.2 miles) (I already did this once!). – I stopped counting to be honest. I have walked over 210 miles. I am very proud of that fact. • Be able to get down on one knee to propose to the woman of my dreams. – On December 12, 2014 I did just that. I was on one knee and proposed and she said yes! I am getting married on August 8, 2015. • Run around with my nephews. – I do this on a regular basis. And plan on doing it more with my God sons and daughters too! • Look in the mirror with confidence. – Again, another learning process. I am working on it. I like what I see at least 60 percent of the time now. • Disney World and Universal Studios, and be able to ride on the rides. – Have not gotten there yet…but I will be heading to an amusement park soon! • Sit in a booth table comfortably. – Yes, I do! On a regular basis now. And it is awesome. • Love myself. – Sigh…another learning process. But I am better than I once was.

So 14 out of 17 goals I made for myself are completed or on their way of being completed. It is a good feeling to look back and see everything that I have accomplished. I like checking off another goal, another accomplishment. Now I need to see what is next! And I am looking forward to that.

Sincerely, Chris

15K Gate River Run Training

 I plan on doing the Gate River Run here in Jacksonville. It will be my second year doing it. Last year I finished under 2 hours, ran the entire thing, and was in pain for two days. This year I decided to train a little better.  It assumes that you have no major health problems, are in reasonably good shape, and have done at least some jogging or walking. If running 2 miles for your first running workout seems too difficult, you might want to begin by walking, rather than running. I also added some hill work. I will use a parking garage and stairs, and do it 2-3x. Then jog 1-2 miles after that. If I'm not hurting already! Speed work will be between an accelerated pace for 15-20 secs, then back to my regular pace. I'll do that for maybe half a mile. I'll test it and let you know how it goes. :)
For my cross training days I am currently doing indoor spin and swimming for 40 minutes.

I used the Halhigdon for a guide, and got some tips below from them. 

9 Week RR Training Program: 15-K Training Guide - Novice Program

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wed.	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
January 12th	2 miles	CT	2 miles	CT	0	3 miles	0
January 19th	2 miles/ Hill work	CT	3 miles	CT	0	4 miles	0
January 26th	3 miles	CT	3 miles	CT	0	5 miles	0
February 2nd	3 miles/ Speed work	CT	4 miles	CT	0	4 miles	0
February 9th	3 miles	CT	4 miles	CT	0	7 miles	0
February 16th	3 miles/ Hill work	CT	4 miles	CT	0	8 miles	0
February 23rd	3 miles	CT	4 miles	CT	0	9 miles	0
March 2nd	3 miles/ Speed work	CT	4 miles	CT	0	6 miles	0
March 9th	3 miles	CT	2 miles	CT	0	RR	0

CT= Cross Training (20-60 minutes)

From Halhigdon.com

‘HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED TO TRAIN to be able to run your first 15-K race? Some individuals who possess a reasonably good level of fitness (because they bicycle or swim or participate in other sports) could probably go out and run 9 miles on very little training. They might be sore the week after the race, but they still could finish.

10-Mile Training: The difference between 15-K (9.3 miles) and 10 miles is minimal. You can use these same programs to train for a 10-mile race.

The terms used in the training schedule are somewhat obvious, but let me explain what I mean anyway.


Running workouts: Put one foot in front of the other and run. It sounds pretty simple, and it is. Don't worry about how fast you run; just cover the distance--or approximately the distance suggested. Ideally, you should be able to run at a pace that allows you to converse comfortably while you do so. This isn't always easy for beginners, so don't push too hard or too fast. Under this workout plan, you run three days of the week: Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, Saturdays being a longer run.

Cross-Training: On the schedule, this is identified simply as "cross." What form of cross-training works best for runners preparing for a 15-K race? It could be swimming, or cycling, walking, other forms of aerobic training or some combination that could include strength training if you choose to do it on Wednesdays and Saturdays instead of as indicated on the schedule. And feel free to throw in some jogging as well if you're feeling good. What cross-training you select depends on your personal preference. But don't make the mistake of cross-training too vigorously. Cross-training days should be considered easy days that allow you to recover from the running you do the rest of the week.

Rest: The most important day in any running program is rest. Rest days are as important as training days. They give your muscles time to recover so you can run again. Actually, your muscles will build in strength as you rest. Without recovery days, you will not improve. In this program, Friday is always scheduled as a day of rest to compliment the also easy workouts on Mondays.

Long Runs: The longest runs of the 10-week schedule are planned for Saturdays, since you probably have more time to do them on the weekends. If Saturday isn't a convenient day for your long runs, feel free to do them on Sunday--or any other day of the week for that matter. Don't run these long runs too hard. Keep them at a "conversational" pace; meaning, at a pace slow enough that you can converse with a running companion without getting too much out of breath.

Walking: Walking is an excellent exercise that a lot of runners overlook in their training. I don't specify walking workouts, but feel free to walk during your running workouts any time you feel tired or need a break. In the 15-K or 10-miler you choose, nobody cares whether you run every step of the way; they're more concerned that you finish. If this means walking every step in practice and in the race, do it!

Step back Weeks: You will notice that the weekly mileage does not progress upwards in a straight line. In Week 4 and Week 7, you run somewhat less than the weeks before. This is the "step back" approach. This give runners a brief break every third week so that they could gather strength before pushing up to the next level. It works for marathoners; it works for 15-K runners too.

The 15-K training schedule is only a guide. Feel free to make minor modifications to suit your work and family schedule.’

Chris's Journey #50: Day 100

Issue #50: Day 100
             
So I finally passed the milestone of a 100 walks. It took a lot longer than I expected it to. Well over 365 days. In all fairness of the main reasons was due to the bariatric surgery I had that saved my life. With that surgery, I did have to take about a month off to recover and heal. So last Thursday I came strolling up to work to walk the paths around my office. It was finally time to have my 100th walk.

Looking at my Runtastic app I saw that if I walked 4.5 miles that I would also cross over the 200 mile barrier. That was important to me. 200 miles in 100 walks meant a 2 mile average. In the first walks that I did, I was happy to get over a mile. Since about the 60th walk and on, I have tried to get over 2 miles each walk. I also from time to time really pushed myself to see my limits and how much I have improved. Speed was always one way I tried to test myself. Getting under the 20 minute mile was a huge accomplishment for me. I remember just staring at the screen when I saw that I got less than 20 minutes for the first time.  July 1, 2014. I walked 2.07 miles that day and on my second mile I did a 19:43 mile. It was amazing to get that done. Now I am routinely doing around 18 minute miles with getting under 18 minutes from time to time. The other way that I push myself is distance. The first 5K (over 3 miles) was amazing. I did not think I wanted to do anymore. Then 2 weeks ago, I walked over 4 miles in one walk (4.24 to be exact). I really felt like I want to curl up in a ball and never get up after that walk. I was exhausted and my knees and back were aching for days afterwards. I figured anything over 4 miles would be a little ways away.

So to go back to Thursday’s day 100 walk, did I really want to try for 4.5 miles? A number I had never done before and was difficult even getting near. I really should not do this, but I really wanted my 200 miles in 100 walks. I took Thursday off, just so that I could do this walk. I tried to recruit a friend to walk with me, but she was unable to. So it was going to be me and my headphones. I like walking in the morning, so I figured I would get it knocked out quickly. I ended up sleeping terribly on Wednesday in to Thursday, only getting about 4 hours sleep. So for the morning, I was lazy. I did not do much. I did not want to do much. I started to talk myself out of walking. I can do it another day. Then as He always does, God sent me a little nudge. He had my friend Melissa text me to ask if I had done it yet. I said no, but I would get it in. There it was…now I had to do it. I strapped my shoes on and headed to work to walk the trails.

I told myself not to worry about the 4.5 miles, just do a nice walk and get the 100th walk over with. But as I got to work, I got a little energy. The weather was cool and the wind was not bad. It was a little overcast, but nothing terrible. I talked with Francesca (my trainer) and told her my idea. I told her about the 4.5 miles. I told her of 200 miles in 100 walks. She was nothing but supportive. I can do this…and if it rained a little, not to worry. A little rain never hurt anyone. I decided to do it. It was time to break two milestones. I plan my route with Francesca and got my headphones out and chose my playlist. I hit play and began to walk.

As I began, I got a phone call from a dear friend. It was about some really rough news about another dear friend. The news was tough to hear because it was not good. Well, now I had my motivation. I walk for friends of mine who cannot walk for themselves. I walk for my Godson Jacob and I walk for my buddy Andy who is going through chemo. So I added this friend to my list of who I was walking for and kept walking.

The playlist on my phone played good song after good song. I crossed a major road (Southside Blvd) to get to the long part of my walk. I began the long part of my walk, going further and further and on a route I had never walked. The clouds I noticed started getting darker and darker, but no rain fell. I kept walking. I hit 2 miles going one way. In order to get back, I would have to walk another 2 miles. That is 4 miles…not good enough yet. I had to keep going. The clouds kept getting darker. No going back. No compromise. I had to do this. I got to what ended up as my midpoint and decided to head back. I was at 2.5 miles. If I finished this walk it would be 5 miles. My legs felt a little heavy, but I felt strong enough to finish. No compromise. I had three people I was walking for.

I felt a drop of rain fall on me. A crash of lightning sounded what felt like right above my head. The drop of rain became a steady rain. I got to 3 miles when the rain really started to come down. My phone with my Runtastic app and music had to stay in my pocket to try and keep as much water off of it as I could. I tried to walk as fast as I could, but I could not out walk the rain. It just kept coming down harder and harder. I could barely see 10 feet in front of me. The lightning and thunder kept lighting up the sky and scaring the heck out of me. I kept asking God to lighten up on the rain. He kept it going harder and harder. Like the 5 mile walk was not hard enough, He had to give me buckets of rain and rivers of rushing water every time I crossed a road? He did and then some! There was not a part of my body that was dry. My shoes had water inside them. Muddy water ran through my shoes and socks. The dirty water from the street flowed on me as I crossed streets. I got to 4 miles…one more to go and my whole body felt everything. Felt the rain. Felt the pain in my legs. Felt the exhaustion. But I had to keep going. I was not stopping for anything.

I finally got to the entrance of my work’s campus. The rain finally slowed down. With every step on campus the sun started coming out. I heard the water slosh in my shoes. I kept walking and walking. Exhausted, knees aching, and soaked I took my final steps and crossed that 5 mile barrier. I stomped on the ground hard as I crossed the 5 mile line that was there only in my head. I wanted to lift my arms up in celebration, but was too wet and cold. I took off my rain and sweat soaked hat and looked to the sky. I thanked God for giving me the determination to finish. 5 miles!

I just completed my 100th walk, walked for 5 miles and walked more than 200 miles. I was the fat guy and the guy that could not get dressed without getting exhausted. I was the guy that could not fit in to seats or in to my own clothes, or do anything active. I WAS THAT GUY! I am not him anymore. I am the guy that walks 5Ks and can walk 5 miles any time he wants. I am the guy that has now walked a 100 times and over 200 miles now. Since starting this walking journey a year ago, I have left the cocoon of fat and frustration and hatred for myself and have come out of it stronger and healthier and happier than I have ever been. That is the man I am now. I am that guy now!

Sincerely, Chris

Chris's Journey #49

Issue #49: What Kind of Day Has It Been

One year ago from today I began a journey and what a journey it has been! A year ago I woke up early and went walking 1.6 miles in order to get tired before having a sleep study done. I never realized what just one walk would have done to me and friends invested in me in the past year. It still gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. I decided on this one year anniversary that I would look back on the past year (especially my first blog entry posted on 10/22/2013) and see everything that has changed. Come on and walk back with me.

On October 22, 2013 I announced to the world that I was a single male and 455 pounds. Plain Vanilla (Francesca) posted this awful picture of me with my sweet nephews. If you go back and look at that picture you will see a man who truly disliked just about everything about himself. I was round, I was sad and I was hurting physically and emotionally.  I kept my hurt to myself mostly trying to be the happy fat guy. Only those closest to me knew of my hurt. I knew that when I started this journey that if I was going to try to heal that I had to be open and honest. I made a promise to Francesca that I was going to not hold anything back. With the exception of only a few subjects, I truly believe that I have kept that promise to her. I have talked about my depression, my food addiction, my size, my loneliness, my walking, my surgery, and all the struggles in between. This blog and this journey have truly changed my life and I believe for the better.

So let’s tackle the weight topic real quick. On 10/22/2013 I was 455 pounds. As of 10/15/2014 I am now 322 pounds. Wow…a 133 pound drop in a year (my BMI has dropped from 69 to 49)! Now I will agree that the bariatric surgery that I had in May 2014 did have a lot to do with it. But after seeing my doctor (the awesome Dr. Rao) my weight loss has still been dramatic. In her words no one has lost more that she has seen in such a short amount of time. Now, I truly believe the reason why my weight loss has been so quick was not because of the surgery but because of the work that I have been putting in. I usually walk long distances 2 to 3 times a week. I work out and attend fitness classes at least once or twice a week. I keep my calories as close to 1,200 calories a day. I very rarely eat sweets. I still depend on carbs too much and I will have to face that monster soon enough. But 80 percent of what I do is healthy and focused on me achieving my goals of living a healthy life. I have gone down from a 6X shirt to a 3X shirt. I am still in my old 4X pants, but I wear them where they are supposed to be now at the belly button instead of at the gut. I do not hurt getting out of bed anymore. I do not get exhausted getting dressed any longer. I can tie my shoes now standing up instead of having to sit down. My stomach no longer touches my steering wheel in my car. It is just the best time of my life now. And every day gets better and better.

Let’s talk about a year of walking! I missed 2 months of walking because of the surgery. May and June were walkless, but I still have gotten in 95 walks and walked 184.5 miles. I have gone through 2 pairs of walking shoes (I actually own 2 pairs of excellent walking shoes to make sure I have the support I need). My last walk that I did I walked 4.24 miles in one walk, my longest one to date. The last 5K that I did, I did not struggle walking the whole thing. I even passed people on the course! I was not the last person to cross the line. I beat several people across that line and I had room to spare!

I addressed being single a lot in the blog. It was such a struggle for me for the longest time. I felt like I did not deserve the love of a woman because of my size. It was all about my attitude and feeling good and loving myself, which I did not. I worked on that a lot the past year with my counselor: learning to love myself and knowing I am good enough. Well I finally listened! As I continued to heal and take care of myself a funny thing happened. I met an amazing woman. I have been dating her for 4 months now. I am so blessed to have her in my life and I know I am a blessing in her life too. But as grateful as I am for this relationship with her, I am more excited about the relationship with me! I like taking care of myself now. I like doing things that are good for me. I love me and I am not afraid to say it! I said on my birthday blog that my 40th year will be my best one yet. Well 7 months in and it has been my best year yet!

I am also so grateful for all the support that you all have given me over the last year. All the “likes” on Facebook. ALL the wonderful comments everyone has taken the time to write. I cherish every word you write to me. It gives me encouragement and strength. You all are a blessing to me as well. I cannot thank you enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Finally, I said in that first blog that I have been a quitter my whole life. Well it is a year later and I have not quit yet. I have not stopped. I have had bumps, but I keep charging ahead. I fight for every step I take and every pound I lose. I am still fighting my food addiction, but I am realizing that food no longer rules my life. Food is not my reason to be here. It is not my source of comfort. Food is a way to nourish myself so that I can live my life to the fullest. So I can go to concerts, ride roller coasters, take my girl out on a date, and sit comfortable in a pew at church and concentrate on my time with God and not my size.  I am not a quitter anymore. I am a fighter and I will not be stopped until the job is completed.

And I am just getting started…wait till you see what I do in year 2.

Sincerely, Chris

Chris's Journey #48: Everyone Needs a Helping Hand

I had a friend of mine message me the other day about being an accountability partner with them and if I could share some tips with them on what was working for me losing weight. I was honored to be asked and wrote them back with some things that helped me out. After reading over the message again, I thought that some of the ideas may help out some of you reading this blog. Here is what I wrote them:

• Start immediately! Tomorrow never comes. I use to tell myself "I will start on Monday" well Monday never came. I never started then. What happened with me is one day I just started to walk. That looks like it might be the same for you.

• You have a significant other. Talk with them about helping you out. Go on walks together. Tell them not to take no for an answer...to drag you out there. And do not start big...that is where most people fail. They try to start exercising by walking 5 miles. That is just asking for failure. Start with around the block or a half mile. If you feel like going more, go for it...but start small and build up. (If you do not have a significant other, then ask someone to partner with you. Working out with a buddy is much more fun than by yourself)

• You said you are exhausted after work. What about before work? There are times I get up even 15 minutes early and just walk for those 15 minutes before starting the day. 15 minutes is better than nothing and is better than sitting on the couch or lying in bed.

• Find things that are fun for you to do and do them. If it is swimming or bike riding...or even shopping…just do it. I walk around the mall all the time when it is too hot or if it is raining. If you want to meet on a Saturday at one of the malls and do laps...let me know. They are a huge help.

• Finally, if you miss a day DON’T BE HARD ON YOURSELF! It is OK to miss a day. But set yourself up for success. Put your walking shoes or gym bag by the door ready to go. Put a sign on the fridge that asks you: Are you hungry? How hungry are you? What are you hungry for? Little things that you do to change behavior will lead to big things that change behavior.

• You can do this. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. You are just in a rut right now. Everyone gets in them. Just ask people to help you get out of the rut.

Let me stress a few points here. First, on the do not start big, please know how true this is. It is asking your body to go zero to sixty without anytime to prep. Make a commitment that is realistic. Start with once or twice a week with a realistic amount. Think about it this way, even if you do once a week, that is still once a week more than where you were. And start with a realistic exercise. Commit to that realistic one and if you can do more, then great! We set ourselves up for failure so much just by aiming too big and then giving up because it is too much.
Do not be hard on yourself is the number one advise I need to give everyone. No one tears us down like we tear ourselves down. If you miss that one day you do not exercise, it does you no good to beat yourself up. You have to just figure out a new way to get yourself going. Try different ways to get yourself to the gym or to walk or to where ever you want to exercise or move. I pack my gym bag and place it by the front door every night that will be exercising the next day. I put up signs around my house to encourage me to get out there and move. Try several things that might help you out. Once you find the one thing that helps out, then do it and stick with it.

Being too tired after work makes perfect sense. We all work hard whether it is in an office building or being the CEO of a family keeping everything running smoothly. When you get married and/or have kids (I can only imagine) it gets harder and harder. But you need to take that 15 minutes (or more) for yourself. It is vital for you to figure out a way to take care of yourself, especially if you have a family. Work with your family on you finding a time for you and stick with it. You are very important and you should treat yourself as important.

These are just a few of my thoughts. There are thousands more. Find what works best for you and try stuff out. There is no right way or wrong way. There is the way that works for you. Just start moving and your body will thank you!

Sincerely, Chris

The Theindia's Journey #3: A well balanced plate.

A well balanced plate

We have all heard the expression, 'are you happy?' And this expression comes with 2 simple answers...if the answer is yes, keep doing what you are doing! But if the answer is no, revaluate what you are doing and make a change. This is where I was a few weeks ago.

See, you never realize how much is on your plate until you go thru a full day of all of your duties. As you all know, I am a mother of 2 grade school children, a full time employee, and a 3/4 college student (meaning I take 3 classes, so not quite a full time student but close enough). Well, to add to my already full plate I have added baseball mom for both boys! Yes, baseball season has started yet again. But I am trying not to stress. Well, I just told a small lie, a few weeks ago I did stress! How in the world am I going to go to work, go to class, take the kids to baseball, study, and workout?!?! There are only 24 hours in a day and per the mind law, you have to sleep at least 8 of those (lol). Yes, this sounds like a lot and it is. Which brings me to my question...are you happy? Well, at that point the answer was NO. It was a little more verbal than no, but I would rather not repeat those words. So what did I do? I sat down and reevaluated what wasn't making me happy. And the answer was I was stressed. My first priority was to not revert back to the old Theindia. In my mind I had already set out to see what can I remove from this list and you know what the first choice that came to my mind...that's right, my health/fitness goals. The old bad part of me had already written off my fitness goals as a loss. But my new frame of mind said no not this time. It is weird it was like my mind had already told my body and I began to feels self get lazy. Oh no, not this time I said to myself. So I wrote a list and started to prioritize my days. I wrote down the top items that needed to be done on specific days and then I wrote down what could be rearranged to fit. And what do you know...I have this plate of mine balanced.

What does this have to do with my fitness goals you may ask...the answer is a lot. See the old me would have cancelled my gym membership, hung up my running shoes, and pulled out the ice cream. But not the new me. I did have to cut back at the gym, but I did not give it up. I now walk/run while my boys are at baseball practice, as well as on the weekends if I can't hit the gym I take the boys and we practice baseball or go for a walk. I have kept up with my health eating and stayed a long long way from junk food. I refuse to go back to old habits. I made that commitment to myself this year and I am sticking to that goal.

I'm not able to report double digit weight loss numbers, but I will take my 4 pound loss as a gain. Slow and steady is the way to win the race. So I ask myself today, "am I happy?", and guess what, that answer is YES!!

Chris's Journey #47: The Journey Continues

Issue #47: The Journey Continues…

I walked my 91st walk last Friday, walking 3.5 miles in a little over an hour. Almost a year in this journey to get healthy and blogging about it and I am finally starting to enjoy this walking thing. If I have not walked in a while, I can feel it. Not walking makes me feel sluggish and like something is missing in my life. Walking has become cathartic to me. It allows me to have time to myself to think things out or to just breathe or spend time in prayer and reflection. For the 20 minutes to an hour that I am out it is all about me, and that is nice to have.

Here is the breakdown of 91 walks from October 17, 2013 to September 19, 2014 (11 months):

·         172.3 miles walked
·         64 Hours 55 Minutes walked
·         Over 45,000 calories burned
·         Over 113 pounds lost

So 9 more walks until my 100th walk.

I have less than 30 miles till 200 miles.

One month to go before I hit a year of walking and beginning this journey.

47 blog posts written with 45 of them being on time.

I have a met an amazing woman whom I call my girlfriend now. I finally had the confidence to ask a woman out and she said yes. We celebrated 3 months of dating last week. This is my longest relationship ever. Because I have learned to like and love myself, I am now able to love someone else. Yes, you heard me right. I love her, she loves me. The areas of my life are this good because I started this journey 11 months ago.  Who would have thought that a walk with its sole goal of getting tired for a sleep study would become an inferno in my life changing everything? I would not have thought it for one minute. But it has happened and continues to happen every day I am on this journey.

For those of you who are frustrated with the way your journey is going, the only thing I can tell you is that it starts with one step forward. Even if there is a time that you go five steps back, you have to keep walking forward. Thomas Edison said, “Many of life's failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” This is so true. All of us are all so close to success, but because of our frustrations we lose sight and stop. Are you up to taking one step forward? The minute you step forward once, you are on the road to getting to where you want to be. You may step back a bit, but as long as you keep focused on the journey in front of you and not behind you, you will succeed. Success will not be over night, but it will be there ready for you to take it.

I have plenty of people and dear friends say that I inspire them. I am grateful for such wonderful words. Inspire yourself to just take a step forward. For me the journey continues and will continue for the rest of my life. What about your journey? Has it started or do you need to start it? Inspires yourselves! You never know where just one step will take you.

Sincerely, Chris