The Wild Card

As I watched the 11^th inning home run that sent the Blue Jays soaring into the playoffs I was hit by a hard wave of emotion. I felt as if I had witnessed a miracle, a team that had persevered for 22 years determined to make it to the playoffs just made it happen, for the second year in a row. This truly was #ourmoment and it reminded me that anything (and maybe everything) is possible when you want it bad enough. We can learn so much about life from sports and this moment was no exception. As a wild card myself I thought, with that same perseverance and determination not only could I make it to the playoffs but I could also win the World Series (hypothetically speaking, of course).

I have always dreamed of becoming a fitness model and competing. I want to work hard and know how it feels to live at my full potential. I am proud to say I am finally putting action behind these words, and although I realize the road ahead will be treacherous at times, I welcome the challenge and most importantly – I am ready. In the words of Les Brown, you don’t get what you want in life. You get who you are and I am going to let this experience not only build my character, but reveal it.

I admit, fitness is that one thing I’ve always obsessed over in both healthy and unhealthy ways. There is nothing on the planet that can make me feel the way I do after a good sweat. If you ask those closest to me, they will support the theory that my mood and actions are in direct relation to my consistency in the gym . Fitness has become that one thing I feel so passionately about that I cannot make it through the day without it consuming my thoughts, and that is too special to be ignored. I have made a commitment to follow my dreams and with a brave heart I will embrace every single second of it.

This moment and what I am going to do with it is something I hope will one day inspire other people. Inspire them to love and trust themselves enough to become the best version of themselves. Inspire them to let go of fear and excuses to reach for what they thought was not attainable, and have what they thought they were never worthy of. Inspire them to value themselves and find strength and motivation in the fact that they too are truly are capable of greatness.

I am overflowing with this inspiration I wish to share because I finally realize – I DO love and trust myself unconditionally, I AM worthy and I WILL achieve greatness. Why? Well, simply because I am me and that is the only person I really want to be. Every peak and valley I have experienced has led me to this exact moment and I am forever grateful for each and every one.

So here I am, setting my intentions and sending them into the universe. I have learned positive affirmations and focusing on what you want is far more effective than focusing on what no longer serves you, and I am so excited to put this mindset to work. This is a very exciting chapter in my life and I hope you will follow my journey as I do my best to knock this one out of the park, in a bikini.

Ash XO

To be continued…