Inspired

This morning, I was reading the blogs that I check regularly, and I was inspired by Donna Downey, scrapbooker, artist extraordinaire, and creator of the Inspired Artist Workshop. She shared her weight loss story (she has lost almost 50 pounds since January 2008 and has begun running 5k and 10k races) and though I had read pieces of it before, the thing that struck me today was that she said “i like that i only compete with myself and enjoy the time spent challenging my body to perform.”

“I only compete with myself…” That’s what I need to do. I am competing with so many images in my head: actresses, models, coworkers, everyone who is thinner than me. I need to stop thinking about other people and think of myself. Yes, I want to lose weight and be healthy for my husband and my son, for my doctor who said she’d like me to lose 10 pounds, for others who I feel look at me and see me as overweight. But they key is that I need to do it for myself. I need to want to be healthy and to lose weight, or it will never happen.

I am inspired to compete with myself and to see what this body can do. God created this body, so I know that it can do great things!