Third Time Around! May 3, 2015

5:30AM alarm on a Sunday morning? Are you crazy talking?! That is probably what all the people hanging out in the Steel City thought on Sunday, May 3, 2015, ready to take the route on an incredible journey through this gorgeous city! The weather was perfect. Blue skies. Temps just right. Sun was shining. Crowds cheering on strangers and their loved one. DJs. Bands. Spectators. Marching Bands. Cheerleaders. Friends & family. I have to say it, Marathon Day in Pittsburgh is seriously one of my favoritest days in this city!

This year, my third half marathon was super special! I got to run along side my very best friend! It was a great feeling to have someone supporting you and pushing you to keep going towards that finish line. While this run was probably the most difficult of the three half marathons I have ran, I still had one goal in mind.. finishing! Which is exactly what I did. There was doubts in my mind if I would make it to the finish line. I had pains in my knees. My ankles started to hurt. I walked too much. At one point, I felt like I should just crawl to the finish line, ha. (true story)

I don't want you to think you have to go out there and be perfect. I will be honest with you flat out... this was my WORST time for the half marathon! My official time was 2:57:33! Yep, you heard me.. almost 3 hours! My first half marathon was around 2:40 and last year my time was 2:20! So yep, that's right. I added 37 minutes to my time. But that's ok. I didn't train properly, but I knew I was committed to it. I went out there, paced myself because I didn't want to injure myself and knew that if I could cross that finish line, all is right in MY world!

Too many people strive to be perfect. They put so much pressure on themselves that they forget to enjoy this life they live. You were given one life. Don't stress on the things that didn't go right. Don't dwell on not achieving that goal the first time around. Don't think about all the negative comments you might hear for "failing." Remember this.. FAILURE is PROOF you are TRYING! You are working towards creating a better life for yourself! That is what life is about!

You take risks. You take chances. You fail. You get back up. You keep trying. You NEVER give up! Never ever give up! You can, and will succeed! And with that said... I will be back at it for Round 4 next year! I will train properly, and I will (MARK MY WORD) I will beat my time! :) 

Believing in You!

How many of you can relate to constantly comparing yourself to others?! Guilty as charged!! Not something I am proud of but honestly, I am growing out of that stage! Slowly but surely. It is so hard to understand the value of your own self because the media, friends, acquaintances or maybe even family members are simply saying, "I wish I was more like so and so, or my life is never going to be like that."

SERIOUSLY, I did that my entire teenage years even into my late 20s, and it got me absolutely nowhere except for self loathing. I hated the living situation I was in, I hated my figure. I hated my freckles. My wavy hair. I always criticized myself because I wasn't like others and I never thought I could be like them, pretty much like there was NOTHING in this world I could do to change any of that. These people had lots of money. No worries in the world. Gorgeous hair. Beautiful home. Supportive family. They were thin. I could seriously go on... but here is the thing I didn't realize.

No one could ever be me. No one could ever offer the advice like I do. No one has the same thoughts as me. No one could put up a fight like I did to change ALL OF THE ABOVE! No one will EVER be ME! I am unique. I am special. I am beautiful in my own special way. It is extremely important to understand the value of self love and to realize you are God's gift to this earth... and you are truly amazing!

Now I never always believed in myself, and it honestly wasn't until just last year (yep, that's right.... 27 years old) that I really got a grip on self confidence, self love and being thankful for being myself. Actually it was only a short 7 months ago that I began to understand how much of an impact I am making on this world. How did I do it?

Personal Development?! What the heck is that, you are probably asking.... It is INVESTING IN YOURSELF! Reading self help books, learn ways to improve your life. Learn ways to believe in yourself. Learn ways to become better at a certain skill, etc. I know you are probably thinking I am crazy, and those books a bunch of crap, but seriously it helps... WHY DOES IT HELP? Because you realize, that your life is typically no worse than some of the greatest leaders and entrepreneurs in this world. You realize that maybe they even had it worse off than you did and are doing INCREDIBLE things. You realize that you are absolutely strong enough to be exactly like them and create a happier lifestyle!!

Another tip I want to share with you to believe in yourself and be more confident would be to surround yourself with positive, uplifting people! People who always are telling you to keep your head up. To keep fighting when you want to give up. People who are making this world a brighter place! They say that you are the average of the five people you hang out with the most.. Sooooo, if you are surrounding yourself with self-loathing, lazy, miserable people, chances are that is exactly how you will become!! You have to cut your ties with these people who bring you down. Surround yourself with people who lift you up and want to help you become this amazing person who understands that he/she is absolutely amazing!

Now this doesn't happen overnight and it is a long road to recovery, and I know that it will be hard... but when you look back a year from now and say "wow, I never really noticed how negative I was and I am so thankful for this life I wake up to EVERY SINGLE DAY now..." your ENTIRE LIFE has changed. You will be thankful for every rain drop, every sunny day, every person that comes in and out of your life, and EVERY SINGLE STRUGGLE you've gone through because it helped you get to this exact moment!

I want to leave you with a quote from a "self-help/confidence booster" book that I am reading, and I want you to really think about this!

"If you base your self worth on what everyone else thinks of you, you hand all your power over to other people and become dependent on a source outside of yourself for validation. Then you wind up chasing something you have no control over."


Realizing how amazing you are and what you have to offer to this world is truly something special. Know that I think you are such a wonderful gift to this earth & people who have you in theirs are extremely lucky! You are absolutely amazing! Never forget that!





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