Dear Friends,
I am 25 today. I have been alive for a total of 25 years. That’s one quarter of a century, and man what a quarter century it’s been! I think about how much I have changed for the better over the years, and I must say that I am truly astonished by everything I have learned from hard work, dedication, and some pretty amazing life experiences. The people I have met thus far have been ever so encouraging about my goals and my dreams that I can barely wrap my brain around it all. 2 years ago, I picked up a kettlebell in an effort to condition my body in an entirely new way. That single step lead me to having this blog, promoting awesome food products, and meeting some truly powerful and inspiring people in the kettlebell world. I am forever grateful for everything that has happened thus far in my fitness journey!
But this life I have lived has been one hell of a roller-coaster. I have had my share of pain and sorrow when I was dealing with illness a few years back. I have had many “nervous breakdowns” over the years as I hung on to what little I had left of my sanity as I tried to find the solutions to my health problems. The stress of it all lead me to bouts of severe anxiety and depressive episodes that were so dabilitating that I had to seek counsel for them (Yep, that’s right. You are reading this correctly. It’s the truth.). Believe me when I say that I know what it’s like to suffer.
But the good news is that all that hardship was worth it.
Over the years I was able to piece back together my life using simple principles that defied the advice of “conventional wisdom.” By making the simplest of changes, I was able to ward off disease and reach a level of physical fitness that surpassed my wildest dreams. I let go of my damaging vices, changed my attitude, managed my stress and fine tuned my diet to the best of my ability. If you have read the “About Me” section of this blog, you’ll know then that all the effort paid off. When you are at your weakest point in life, you truly learn just how strong you can become. It is this new found strength that has lead me to reconsider where my life is taking me, and what I am ultimately meant to do for myself in terms of a career.
Quite frankly, my mind is made up.
In December I was accepted into graduate school to further my career in psychology. I have taken a hard look at this program and spoken with many people who have completed the program. I have taken a look at the current mental health system as well as our current health system as a whole in this country. It took six months of incessant phone calls, running back and forth to my family for advice, and a whole lot of praying to discern whether or not I was meant to journey down the path towards becoming a clinician. Ultimately, I have decided to turn the offer down.
Why?
I hate to sound like a stereotypical punk rocker chic, but I just don’t like the system we have in this country when it comes to health care. It is not wise for me to put myself through three years of intense academic protocols to end up representing something I truly don’t believe in. I have my own mission here, and I know now what I am to do with my life. I have decided to make this announcement because this is, for all intensive purposes, like being born into a new way of life.
I do not want people to be over medicated. I want to help people minimize their need for medications.
I do not want people to have the stress of life beat them to the ground. I want to help people conquer whatever life throws at them.
I do not want people to feel like they are just “getting by”. I want to empower people to become the best versions of themselves.
You can say what you want to say about this matter, but leave me to my own opinion. For me, I see nothing but slavery in our current health system. We are a sick and stressed out country. We are overworked and over medicated. Our attempts to lead healthy lifestyles often make us sicker as we are fed more lies from the diet and fitness industry. I often wonder if there is some strang connection between conventional medicine and conventional training, but I’m not one to really investigate conspiracy theories either. Nevertheless, there has been a grave disservice to the common man to lead a healthy lifestlye, and by “healthy” I mean mentall AND physically.
This path I have chosen now has come as a suprise, but had it not been for the encouragement of my closes of friends, the support from my most loving family, and the UNBELIEVABLE motivation I have foun via facebook, twitter, and this blog, I would not have had the courage to take such a bold leap of faith. My goal now is simply this. To journey towards the RKC certificaiton after HKC. To set up the platform to teah others how to eat properly. To train others to exercise intelligently. To use everything I have gained over the past 25 years to strengthen the minds and bodies of those who are willing to learn. I WILL be a certified trainer and I WILL do this because the principles of functional fitness and sensible eating are what truly changed not jsut myself, but so many other people I now know.
It just makes sense.
I would like to thank you all who have followed me thus far, both on twitter, facebook, and this blog. I want to thank my family for encouraging me to follow this dream. I want to thank my friends for inspiring me to get certified. Finally, I want to thank everyone who has spoken with me privately, be it my personal trainer or the trainers I have had the pleasure of meeting elsewhere, who have really given me insight into just how strong you can become with somehting as simple as a kettlbell. The physial gains I have achieved and the financial blessings that are to come have compeltely blown my mind. I am forever indebted to you all.
I don’t need a plethora of happy birthday wishes. All I can ask for is to wish me the best as I journey on the path less traveled. I should be scared, but I’m not. In fact, I think my life is about to take off.
BRING IT!
Love Always,
Janelle
