Sharing a Stranger's Story :)

To start this post off right, I wanted to share this picture. I LOVE this quote! Seriously, don't be afraid to sit in the front row of your life. It's YOUR life. YOUR story. SHARE IT!!! Share anything you want. You seriously have no idea who you are inspiring, motivating, helping, etc. Just start talking and doing the things you love and the right people will follow you. The right people will support you.

With that said, I want to share this wonderful story I encountered last night. I decided that I needed groceries after this awesome snow storm. I went through all of my frozen meat, veggies, and fruit. I was getting to the point of scrambling up what I had left in the house to make a meal. So, off I go to Meijer's. First off, can I just say that I will be grateful when the stores are stocked again?? I couldn't find half of what was on my list!

Anyhoot, during my adventure to the store I stopped by the deli to get my turkey and I happened to have a lady wait on me. I've seen her before back there, but couldn't tell you her name or her story. The whole getting too personal thing is forbidden these days with ANYONE it seems like, but for some reason she felt compelled to reach out to me. I'm glad she did because what she told me next really got to me....in a good way :) 

She asked me what kind of turkey I wanted like any other customer service person in the industry would, so I told her the honey roasted turkey and can I have it thin sliced. She then asked if I wanted low sodium (It's like she knew my plan all along!). I said of course! You can never be TOO healthy. Anyways, she started to tell me her story. She said she had to start watching her sodium intake due to some medical issues. I said I can understand and I hope everything is going well now. Most people would stop there, but she didn't and I'm happy she didn't. She went on to explain that she was diagnosed with Type II diabetes and high blood pressure, both are VERY serious and cause VERY serious issues and lead to other medical issues if not taken care of. I was kinda thinking to myself, hmmm she really wants to tell her story to someone cause no one usually comes out right and says that to a stranger, so I did what I do best and listened. For an entire year she watched what she ate. She measured her sodium intake among other things like sugar and cholesterol and in a years time, she proudly told me she is free of any meds for both her Type II and high blood pressure. She is FREE!! She also lost 70 pounds in the process, which just rocks in my book cause that's really freakin hard to do anyways. 

The reason I was so inspired by it is because I myself, have gone an entire year of no medicine for medical reasons because I watched my food intake. My other reason I felt inspired is because she felt like she could trust me enough to share her story. Trust goes a long way in the fitness world as it does anywhere else. She could have told her story to anyone else (and she may have), but she felt like she could tell ME. a STRANGER, someone she doesn't know anything about. Isn't that awesome??!??!? And the best thing about it is, it wasn't her weight that she was focused on. It was her HEALTH! Her health was more important than any magazine covered model or skinny friend of hers. She took control of her life and that is a story I will gladly spread around the universe. 

Don't be afraid to tell your story peeps! You never know who might be inspired by it. People ask me all the time how I stay motivated and honestly it's hearing everyone else's success stories and for those that tell me I've inspired them. It makes me want to push harder because now I know people are looking up to me in some way and I'm inspiring them to make their own success story. That's a really important job and it really makes you hold yourself accountable. Now, I obviously was not any part of this person story and I will never claim to be, but my point is I got to hear it and it's something I won't forget either. She wasn't afraid to be proud of herself and that just makes me smile for days. 

Keep pushing! Consistency is key and if you want it bad enough you will get there! Be patient, be humble, be you. 

~Ditty