Holding my dad’s hand as he took his final breath was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Equally as hard was the year and a half leading up to that point, as my dad suffered through everything that comes along with stage 4 lung cancer. It was extremely difficult to watch someone you love go through hell and not be able to do anything about it.
Here’s the brutally honest truth though: My dad was in the position he was in because he didn’t take care of himself. He smoked multiple packs of cigarettes a day, drank every day, and had poor hygiene. I bet you can guess how often he exercised. He ended up where he was because of his daily actions.
As much as we can learn from other people’s successes, I think it’s equally (if not more) beneficial to learn from other’s failures. My dad ignored his health, and the end result was an early death of stage 4 lung cancer at the age of 67. He never got to meet his grandson, and to be honest, I didn’t get to know him as much as I would have liked.
This is one of the main reasons why Beyond Measure Fitness Training exists, and why I do what I do. All I wanted for my dad was to be happy. My whole life I knew that my dad’s life didn’t have to be the way it was, yet he chose that lifestyle every single day.
As I went through the process of becoming a trainer I realized that my mission in life is to help people regain control over their lives. It’s so much more than about simply losing weight, building muscle or getting stronger.
It’s about being happy. It’s about becoming the best version of yourself and sharing that with the world. The interesting thing is that when you do this, it improves the lives of everyone around you.
I loved my dad, and I know he loved me. The sad truth is that he didn’t love himself. You may not love yourself right now. I’ve been there and I wouldn’t wish it upon everyone. I can’t simply tell you to love yourself. That’s something that takes time. What I can tell you is that you can start taking care of yourself, whether you love yourself or not.
Start taking care of yourself and you’ll begin the process of loving yourself as you did as a kid.
Wishing health, love, and confidence to you all!
