Discipline- something i was lacking for too long

Recently i put up two photographs of myself. one is before i started to workout consistantly and eat cleaner. the other is about a month ago after many transformations.(body, mind, hair, teeth, you name i've changed so much in the past year) i noticed something. people were quick to say... you're beautiful both ways. and not just one person, a lot of people have contacted me about this. The photos weren't to say "i was fat" or "look how awesome i am" and i sat and wondered why it was bothering me so much that so many weren't saying they know how hard i've been working. 

left: April 2011. right: June 2014

i also noticed my response to people was that "my mind is changing too, it's not just my body." i want to further explain since i wasn't even fully understanding what i meant but i knew it's how i felt. Here it goes. it bothered me because of the lack of discipline i had in the first photo. Discipline has been the biggest change for me since i started hitting the gym. i don't just mean for my body. yes it definitely took that painful discipline to get me there, and to slowly not eat junk all the time. 

Discipline has always been an extreme weakness for me. In the past year however, i've gotten so much better. (don't get me wrong, i still have lots to work on in this area) i make sure to take time to read my devotional, get in the word, pray, journal, and read about business. I take time to make healthy meals, spend time with loved ones whether it's texting on the phone or in person. I've also got out of my comfort zone by doing things for my business that make me highly uncomfortable. These were things i was not doing before.

i know the reasoning behind the people saying i'm beautiful in both is with good heart. but i feel more beautiful now, and continuing that journey. my body transformation is only a small part of it. i'm more confident, not jealous, not fearful, ready to be uncomfortable in business to better it all. i have confidence in my ability as a business woman, and trusting that it will turn out the way it should with hard work. 

The reason i'm sharing my body transformations is to show not only physically but how far i've come in all other areas. my body is showing the hard work that the rest of my life is doing too. i can look back at photos of myself and remember how i felt, what i was thinking (yup i have a crazy weird memory) and most of those negative thoughts are slowly drifting away. it's not saying to any woman that losing weight is for you because in fact, since last year i've lost about 4 lbs. but i've gained strength, muscle, and understanding of beauty in a new light. 

so when i showed those photos, i not only believe i'm more beautiful on the outside, but i'm becoming more beautiful on the inside as well. i'm slowly becoming the woman i'm supposed to be. Full of confidence and joy. 

I'm writing this today to encourage you! I hope this motivates and shows, you can work on your heart and body. You can see and feel a huge difference in how you see yourself, and the things around you. So when you workout, and take care of your body, it's also a work on your heart and mind. It's not a selfish act, but one that will help you grow in all areas of life. i believe i'm more beautiful now, because i'm taking care of the body i was given, and i think that's so important. 

“If you want to follow me even more, my social media links are below. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. The only one missing is fitocracy where i log every workout in great detail so you can see what i’m doing to see progress. it’s a wonderful app i suggest. ”