Encouraging and Inspiring Myself

I have been doing work with my Life Coach, John Honeycutt of Highest Life Design, to find my personal values and to live by those values. After doing some deep diving I have come up with 7 personal values to live my life by. They are: Joy, Loveliness (Beauty), Compassion, Empathy, Inspire, Encourage, and Health. 

I have chosen Encouragement/Inspire as two values that I am going to work on really embodying. I want all of these values to just become who I am, not just what I "have" to do. I have already noticed that my value of Joy is just who I am. I don't have to try to be joyful or see joy, or bring joy to others anymore. It just naturally happens now. It is just who I am now and that is what I am wanting to do with the rest of these values and ones that come up for me in the future for me. I want my goals to be value based, not results based. I want my decisions and behaviors to be based on my values and not on what I "think" I should do in the moment. 

So as I mentioned above I am taking on Encouragement/Inspire as two values that I am focusing on. At first, I was looking at it as how can I encourage/inspire others, especially women and then I realized that to do that I really need to start with me. How can I encourage/inspire myself? I was talking with my coach and we were talking about how can I make my goal of weight loss a value based goal instead of a results based goal. We came up with being grateful for how my body encourages me and inspires me each day. I thought about that after our coaching call and I have added to that. Not only am I grateful for how my body encourages and inspires me, but also what can I do to encourage and inspire my body?

I am someone that has chronic pain and several issues going on with my body right now. Eating healthy and getting some weight off will help me in so many ways. I am now asking myself daily, "How can I inspire and encourage my body today?" I can make healthier eating choices that will encourage my body to keep doing the amazing things that it is doing to help me. it is a beautiful cycle. I encourage/inspire my body and my body encourages/inspires me. 

One way I have decided to do this is to write everyday. It may be a letter from future me, a note of encouragement on those days I am not feeling so well, a gratitude list., poetry, or a song. I am not planning what or how I write, but that I am going to write daily. 

So today I am writing some encouragement to my body in the form of Haikus: 

I am inspired

You never give up or in

Keep up the good work

My legs are so strong

Each step, everyday, my life

Carrying me through

Today I have pain

My body is helping me

heal, I'm grateful

I see you, feel you

Some days are better, some not

so grateful for you

You work hard for me

No longer will you work hard

I will ease your pain

My body is art

A work in progress for sure

I am the artist

I am off to have a great day encouraging/inspiring myself and others. 

 

A Letter From Future Me

Dear Melissa Joy, 

I know that lately you have been looking to the future and wondering what it will look like. Right now you feel held back by your body and some days you wonder if you will ever hit your health goals and be able to do the things that you want to do. 

First of all, look right in the moment, the present. I see that you are doing a lot of what you want to do. I know maybe not to the full extent that you would like to. One thing that I have admired about you over the years is that you have never given up, you always show up, you always have fun, and you still go on adventures despite how your body may be physically feeling at the time. One of the times that really sticks out to me is when you climbed the hill of The Acropolis at Athens to see The Parthenon. You were in pain, but knew it was a once in a life time opportunity that you didn't want to miss. You were in pain that day, but you pushed through and enjoyed that moment and will remember it for the rest of your life. 

As you look to the future and think about what you want to do I want you to remember that in the present you are doing the things that you want to do. Please don't forget that. 

I am so proud of you that you never give up. I am living proof that you always showing up and not giving up has paid off. I am now a healthy weight with little pain. I am travelling the world with Keith, hiking, kayaking, doing photography, taking my grandkids on vacations, and loving on women worldwide. I want women worldwide to know how beautiful they are inside and out and I am able to do that while travelling. 

The physical things are fun and exciting and I look forward to each and every new adventure, but what I have noticed even more is the deep peace that I feel. I am full emotionally, spiritually, and mentally, and that is the best part of this journey and that is why there is so much peace in my life. 

I remember being where you are today, where each step physically hurt and your body is holding you back. Just know that you showing up and not giving up will get you to where I am today. 

I am so proud of you. 

You are amazing and beautiful just the way you are today and you will still be amazing and beautiful in the future. 

I am here for you. Keep Going. You inspired me to get to where I am today. I cannot wait for you to join me. 

I love you!

Love,

Mel

 

First Day Of The Rest Of My Life

My name is Melissa Joy Black. I go by Mel. This is my blog where I am going to journal my journey to health and clarity. 

I have been fighting for my health my whole adult life and have really taken it on over the last 4 years. I have worked with a counselor and now work with a life coach, a personal trainer/nutrition coach, a chiropractor and a great team of doctors. 

I feel that I have come so far mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. It is now time to fully take on the physical aspect of this journey. I have a lot of weight to shed, but not only that I have a lot of medical issues to look into, get clarity on, and hopefully solve.

April of 2023 I ended up in the hospital and was not able to walk for a week. I was in so much pain and to this day no one really knows what happened. To get back on my feet I was pumped full of steroids and had to stay on them for some time.

I have let that get to me over the last year. As I was pumped up with steroids my weight went up. During this time I let this get the better of me and reverted back to bad habits in regard to my eating. These habits have continued to have my weight go up. I am now near my heaviest weight ever and it is physically affecting me in several ways and is keeping me from the things that I really want to do. 

I am not getting down on what has happened this past year. It has happened and is in my past. I used to feel guilty, have shame when I have "failed," but that would not get me anywhere except eating my emotions and feelings and continuing the same cycle. I am looking back to learn from it and move forward. 

Here is a Bible verse that helps me with this, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing." Isaiah 43:18

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. 

Today I worked out with my personal trainer. 

Today I had a healthy protein smoothie and am planning my meals for the rest of the week. 

Today I am renewed and excited!

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. 

My hospital stay April 2023

Today, my Day 1 protein shake! Yum!