...LeArN tO aDaPt...

Mark Twight says, "THE MIND AND BODY ADAPT TO BOTH COMFORT AND DEPRIVATION...". I think that's true of every aspect of human life. We are made to survive and adapt. I've thought a lot about this as I've been facing some changes and adapting to a bit of a different life in some ways myself recently.

I remember a time in my life when I could not even accept a compliment. If someone said, "You are beautiful." I would laugh and say "No, I'm not!" It was a vicious cycle. I was in need of reassurance, but when I got it I discounted it. You do that enough and soon people stop wanting to compliment or reassure you.I started to break this cycle when I began working out and training with my friend, but it was not easy. In the beginning of my relationship with Wes, it was hard for me to adapt to positive reinforcement and encouragement..."comfort" if you will. I always thought it was a joke or a lie. It was almost like I felt I was being made fun of or patronized. It wasn't until I learned to trust and I adapted to the mindset of "I CAN!" and "I AM!" that I started to believe and appreciate the encouragement and compliments that I received. I stopped discounting them and started allowing them to build me up.

The "Strong is the new skinny" movement has began to really grow and people have become more vocal in their compliments towards each other and in sharing their accomplishments. Reading all the stories of transformation and seeing everyone there build each other up, makes me so glad to be associated with such an amazing group of people. I truly believe that the encouragement we give each other can help us adapt and become the best version of ourselves. If there is anyone struggling...anyone that wants to change but is afraid...anyone that is working hard but hasn't yet seen the results they are looking for...anyone that doubts their abilities and chooses to believe the "bad" rather than the "good"...I have something that I want to say that I mean from the bottom of my heart.

"You can do it! Everyone has the strength within to build the strength that people see on the outside. Believe in yourself. Learn to accept compliments and don't be ashamed to share your victories!"

I truly believe that because we have the ability to adapt to our environment that we should be careful about what kind of environment we put ourselves in. We should surround ourselves with people that build us up...not those that drag us down. We should choose friends that help us be the best we can be...not those that tell us we can't. We are going to adapt no matter what, so why not adapt to people and things that help make us great?!?