Tuesday Transformation: Me. Happy 1 year coaching anniversary to me!! This is the reflection of the past year in my life. Its long, VERY long, but worth the time I promise. Think about it as your 10 mins of Personal Development. I never connected the dots with my story. But the loss of my father in 2005 started my journey. It is a journey of grief, faith, mental health, physical health, and a Journey of belief. I lived in FL and it was my 25th birthday. My dad and I played phone tag all day long. Finally, at 10 PM we got a chance to talk. We chatted at a restaurant for about 15 or 20 minutes on the phone. Happy birthday, I love you! That was the last time I heard my dads voice. I was 25 and my biggest supporter was no longer there. Over the next few years, I quit my job, blamed myself and God for my dads death, lost my belief in God, gained 45 pounds, became extremely depressed, was overmedicated with antidepressants, lost my drive to be or do anything, had no faith and no desire in the world to do anything about it and there are 2 years of my life I dont remember. I remember reading Fictional novels so that I can get lost in a fantasy world of somebody elses “amazing life. Over the next several years, I was able to notice that I needed to make a change. I didnt want to be depressed, that wasnt who I was, but I didnt know how to handle it and I didnt know what to change. I decided I wanted to be closer to family so we moved to NC. I knew that I was always in a good mood when I was working out, so to help heal my depression and wean myself off my antidepressants, I decided that I wanted to start working out again. I felt good! I started getting some confidence back, but I was still very discouraged because I wasnt seeing results fast enough. I was running and I attempted P90X but never finished. I had a few trainers and bootcamps. I did lose some weight, a good amount of weight. I was starting to feel happy & healthy again, but I still felt like something was missing in my life. Then I got pregnant. Left our friends and family behind and Moved to CT in 2010 for my husbands career. And then I was 13 weeks pregnant at my daughters 1st birthday with my second child. Six weeks after my son was born, I started Insanity in 2012. I was invited to a challenge group. It was really awesome, but my mind just wasnt there yet. So I quit again. I tried working out with a trainer and then I tried working out by myself at the gym. I tried out shakeology and participated in a 3 day cleanse. I hated shakeology. But I lost 4.7 pounds in that cleanse and I had awesome support and accountability. So I went for another go round. Still did not like shakeology. But got some good results again. I saw progress but I didnt see the results I wanted bc I wasn’t putting in the effort I needed. My mind still wasn’t in the game yet. I was very discouraged and hopeless. Meanwhile Feb 2013, we visited a friend in Georgia and she invited me to go to church with her. I wanted to believe in God again and I tried over the past 9 years but it wasnt my time... until I walked into WestRidge church that day. It was like the sermon was written for me. But even though I had such an aha moment and asked God to forgive me for my disbelief, I still didnt go back to church when I got home in CT. All I wanted was to go to WestRidge Chuch every Sunday. if I just COULD somehow, someway?! And I asked God if that could EVER be possible. I made amazing friends in CT that I had to again leave behind because guess what ... We moved again. May 2013 we moved to VA, I couldnt get back in the swing of things. I was afraid to make friends because I didnt want to leave them again. I secluded my children from making friends as well. I went to the gym, a lot, and was running but wasn’t getting any progress. I was gaining weight and getting more and more depressed. I was lost in my roles as a mom and as a wife. I was lonely. Very lonely. I was tired and lazy all the time, I didnt know what to do. I was falling asleep on the playroom floor with my kids. Not motivated to do anything. There was no passion, there was no purpose and there was no fulfillment in my life. Now dont get me wrong, I love my children and I love my husband, but I needed something more from life- something for ME. Because of a friend, I started researching clean eating and lost 13 pounds in 2 1/2 months just by changing my nutrition. And then I got bit by a tick. I was treated for Lyme disease and I was told I couldnt workout while on the medication. So I waited and waited and fell off track yet again. I remember one day saying, I cant do this anymore! This cant be all what life is going to be?! I want to be happy again! I need a change!” I saw a video post from a friend I knew in CT. She did 10 pushups and I remember that feeling and I wanted that back!! I contacted her and we started talking back and forth. She said, “Have you heard of Shakeology?” LOL You can imagine my answer!! At this point I had been introduced to beachbody products 5 times and participated in 3 challenge groups. Tried shakeology 3 times. And would you believe that I still had no idea that all of these things were connected?!?!! I had NO clue that my CT trainer was a beachbody coach. I had NO clue that the girl running the Insanity group was a beachbody coach. I dont know if I just didnt see it, didnt know what that meant to me or if I just didnt connect the dots, but I didnt even know that shakeology, beachbody or the fitness programs had anything to do with each other!! I actually got beach body confused with another company. I was clueless about the opportunity that was hitting me in the face so many times in my life!! “Um, yes I’ve tried Shakeology like 3 times and I hate it.” Mid September 2013, After some MUCH NEEDED education on shakeology benefits and researching the ingredients and competitors and this new “recipe”( besides just the water and a shaker cup -yeah - don’t do that!) I decided to go over budget that week and buy T25 and shakeology and I would “think” about coaching. October 2013 rolled around and I remember, Lindsey Florczak Thompson asking if I wanted in this new coach training group where they would support me in helping others on their journey too. I thought to myself, heck yeah - I dont want to do this alone!! I need all the support I can get!! I need a freaking community!! I said, “if Im in, I need to be 100% committed bc if I am 50% in - i will fail.” October 2013 my life changed. I jumped in with 2 feet and helped 18 people start on their fitness journey just that month! This got me so fired up to work on my own journey even more! I wasn’t alone!! I had a HUGE support system routing me on and sharing their struggles and success too. I was motivated!! On Nov 4 2013, I REstarted my own fitness journey with T25 and Shakeology and lost 17 lbs and 15” (I did this program over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years) I was determined NOT to gain more over the holidays!! This was the FIRST program EVER that I finished - and my last day, January 17 2014 just so happened to fall on what would have been my dad’s 70th birthday! That day, was my lowest weight and my goal weight that I aimed for for the last 9 Years since he died and I finally did it!! Well, we soon received some news….you got it! Moved once more but guess where??? In March 2014, we moved 5 miles from WestRidge Church in GA that I dreamed of going to. I have gone to church more in the past 6 months than I ever did before in my life combined! I have truly let God guide me in my life this year and he hasnt steered me wrong. Theres been trials and tribulations, weight fluctuation and getting in and out of the game in the last six months since Ive moved here. I was brought to Georgia for a reason. I truly believe that it was for support, my husbands career and getting my faith back. Had we not made this move, Im not sure that I wouldve been where I am today in my belief in myself and my faith. It was stressful but a blessing. Since moving to Georgia Ive actually gained back 9 pounds. However some of that is definitely muscle!! In August 2014, I finished my second program, PiYO and did every single workout to the T! Woohoo! Remember that video?! The one that Lindsey did her push-ups that inspired me to get started again? Well, after finishing Piyo I was able to record a video of myself doing 15 REAL tricep push-ups and 3 unassisted pull-ups. Something I have never done in my life!! Theres progress! So what has changed the most over the past year is definitely my belief in myself. I receive messages and text saying that I have inspired someone and that some people have watched me over the past few months and theyve seen such a change in me. I get comments on my pictures now that say you look beautiful. But I truly believe that these people are seeing me shine from the inside out. My happiness. Thats the beauty that they are seeing. Thats the beauty I didnt have before. ~~Almost done I promise. :-) This is definitely the best part!!~~ When I ordered my T25 and shakeology (with a recipe that I now LOVE and I’ve had it practically everyday for a year now!!) I expected to lose some weight... I didnt expect to gain so much positivity and support in my life. Ive learned that I dont have to live in somebody elses fantasy world. I have a community of friends and something I belong to. I have a passion. Now, I read nothing but personal development books that help me become a better person each and every day in every aspect of my life. Before this business, I would have never picked up one of those books. Ive learned my key roles in life and to stay focused on those helps me with my time management and helps me be a more effective and efficient person throughout my day. Because of this business, my husband and I are focused on working towards financial freedom, we are going to church more now than ever and were healthy and fit role models for our children. In the past year, I have helped over 50 SAHM, teachers, top-level executives, business owners, retailers, single parents, and so many more - lose more than 300lbs combined. Now that may or may not seem like a lot to you but it means the world to me!! I am so proud of them for taking the first step in making change. Its not easy. I now live a life full of passion and a life full of purpose. I LOVE my job! I want to help as many people as I can make a change in their life... Whether it be in their health, their faith, their finances, their spirit or in their mind. I have been touched in all of those areas this year. I will continue to live out Gods purpose for me. I dont want to hear of any more stories of lives that couldve been changed...but it was too late....That hits far too close to home for me. There is help out there for you. You just have to be willing to say, I need help. As much as it might sound, My life is not perfect. I still struggle with weight fluctuation, still have spurts of depression and anxiety, and I have a lot of learning to do in my faith. The difference now is, I have the support, tools, knowledge, drive, hope, belief and DESIRE to make it better each and every day. A desire for change. I allow myself to dream now. Everything happens for a reason. Now I know why. I remember when I started our coach training program last October 2013. My coach Lindsey asked me, Could you see yourself here a year from now? Yeah, I hope. I said very unsure but hopeful. I stand here before you all and I commit to you that I ABSOLUTELY WILL BE HERE A YEAR FROM NOW! Think of all the lives Ill change by then!! What a blessing!! Thank you for letting me share my story with you!! XOXO Ryan Smith Trina Gray Robin Ehrenkaufer
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 16:48:30 +0000
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