I saw this on my friend Daffy’s blog who found it from someone else and asked to share for a Flab to Fab post!

Once again, I felt this spoke so loudly and had something that just about everyone can take from this that I wanted to share. Even if life is where you want it, every day is a chance to grow, to become, to sharpen and increase your measure of joy. From the amazing couple that publishes Marc and Angel Hack Life, I share with you, 10 Ways to Change Your Life at Any Age…

credits

Things can change if you want them to, at any age.  As I awoke this
morning, I marveled at my life today.  Where once I woke with dread at
the thought of a new day, now I wake with excitement to begin – grateful
to be doing what I’m doing for a living.  I am so happy I did what I
had to do, and struggled through the tough times and the fears, and
realigned my life with the things that make me happy.  When friends ask
me how I did it, as they sometimes do, I tell them, “Hard work and
persistence.  It’s a small price to pay for a changed life.”

Here are ten things you can do to change your life at any age:

1. Subtract the wrong things. – When things aren’t
   adding up in your life, it’s time to start subtracting.  Sometimes you
   must let go to grow.  You cannot discover new oceans unless you build up
   enough courage to lose sight of the old, familiar shoreline.  Be
   brave.  Follow your values.  Make changes.  And remember, no venture is
   ever a waste of time.  The ones that don’t work out teach you lessons
   that prepare you for the ones that do.  Read A New Earth.
2. Believe you CAN. – The biggest obstacle that stops
   people from achieving their dreams is the feeling that they are not good
   enough.  Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality.
   You are good enough!  Don’t let life discourage you.  Success is often
   closer than it seems.  With enough determination and drive, anything is
   possible in time.  Everyone who got to where they are had to begin from
   where they were, just like you.
3. Work hard for what you want most. – Dreams don’t just magically
   become realities; it takes a lot of determination, sweat, and hard
   work.  Remember, tough circumstances don’t last; tough people do.  Most
   obstacles melt away when we make up our minds to march boldly through
   them.  If you have a strong commitment to your goals and dreams, and
   wake up every morning with passion to work toward them, anything is possible.
4. Stand up for yourself. – You can’t force people to
   show you respect, but you can refuse to be disrespected.  If you always
   back down to keep the peace, you will forever be armed with anger and
   self-loathing, and fighting a war within.  Say what you need to say, do
   what you need to do, and don’t let anyone bully you into a corner.
5. Let go of the past. – Don’t stumble on something
   behind you.  Don’t let your shadow guide you. You are not a slave to
   your past. Let it go and move on.  Dream and give yourself permission to
   envision a ‘YOU’ that you choose to be – that you know you CAN be.  Read The Language of Letting Go.
6. End hurtful relationships. – Just because you have a
   past with someone, doesn’t mean you should have a future with them.
   Just because you miss someone, doesn’t mean you need them back in your
   life.  Sometimes missing them is just a healthy part of moving on.
7. Be thankful for what you have. – It’s not happy
   people who are thankful, it’s thankful people who are happy.  Even when
   times are tough, think of all the beauty still around you, and smile.
   Life is too short to have a victim mentality.  Say to yourself, “I am
   not going to be bitter, I am going to be better.”
8. Dedicate some time every day to loving yourself. –
   Only when we can sit alone quietly and look with honest eyes at our
   strengths and our weaknesses, our failures and our triumphs, our
   humanness and our moral strength, and love ourselves in spite of, and
   because of all that we are, will we begin to truly understand the
   meaning and power of unconditional love.  Read The Mastery of Love.
9. Keep learning and embracing life’s changes. – The seeds of your success are planted in your past failures.  Your best stories will come from overcoming your greatest struggles.
   Your praises will be birthed from your pains.  Keep standing and keep
   pushing forward.  Even the coldest winters eventually turn into
   springtime.  Seasons always change.
10. Enjoy where you are now. – Sometimes we’re so busy
    watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to
    enjoy where we are.  Laugh at the confusion, live consciously in the
    moment, and enjoy your life as it unfolds.  You might not be exactly
    where you had intended to go, but you are precisely where you need to
    be.

**I claim no rights to the content published today. All content belongs to Marc and Angel Hack Life

Today’s guest poster is my husband!  So, be nice and don’t forget to visit Jayme today for a Flab to Fab post!

Ahoy!

This is is Chris, better known as Punk Rock Papi! It has been a long time coming for me to write this post and I have seen alot of different posts leading up til now of all of your stories and where you are, and why you are involved in such a challenge. We all have differing reasons and most of you are conquering your challenges head on and all I can say is you rock! Keep it up and we will all get there together!

Cheesy banter aside, here is my story;

I have probably maintained the same “herculean” physique since I was a kid. Never too big, never too small, always with a round belly! I come from a spanish family who has always come together through a love of food and eating together. My cousins and I were raised by our Thai grandmother(Gramp’s 2nd wife) and she always kept us well fed in a combo of spanish/thai delight. My Dad and I shared a love of food and cooking together growing up as well. Our meals consisted of all things delicious, which included more vegetables and less fatty fried foods or food from a box. Eating has always been enjoyment for me since I was young so maintaining the above mentioned round belly was always easy.

For many years, I have joked about my ‘happy belly’ and often considered it lightly about my weight. Through most of my twenties, I have worked in the restaurant business and was very fond of drinking, celebrating and eating poorly. Think of all the gross things you eat, late at night….drunk! I was young, single, and fully intending to die under my own circumstances, the years ahead not my concern. Who cares if I die of a heart attack or diabetes? As long as I’m fat, happy and having fun right?

So what changed? Why even make it concern or even become so suddenly conscientious of my health and weight after all the fun and excitement of doing whatever I wanted?

I became a Dad at 29, then I became a Husband. Suddenly, its no longer up to me to decide how and when I die or in the least…how healthy I am.

Are Mami and Nate forcing me to change my ways about my eating? No, not at all. I am simply inspired by their love for me and desire to live a long life with me. My father died when I was 17 and my mother died at 26. I never really got to share much of my future with them, nor did they get to see me grow, succeed and begin the life I have now. I’ll be damned if my son is going to live that way…..

I have been told I am pre-disposed to type 2 diabetes. I have taken sleep studies and told I have severe sleep apnea. I am also told that at my “young” age, I can avoid struggling so much if I drop weight and begin eating better.  Done! Right?

The road is long unfortunately. I hate CPAP machines because I can’t sleep like I want, and I love cookies and beer…..like, alot! I continue to make efforts by reducing my caffeine intake, considering my meal options(despite my healthy appettite and love of food) and trying to work with Mami to cook better meals at home. I take walks with my family when I can, even though I know I could do better. I have done ONE whole session of cardio(throw a party!).  I have become less of a ‘grazer’, a bad habit I picked up working in restaurants….

The result? I began Flab to Fab averaging 244 pds and as of last week, I achieved a weight of 233, 11 pounds! Don’t get me wrong, it fluctuates but I haven’t gone over 235 yet!

Its a long, slow process which could use better effort on my part, but I believe Mami and I working as a team will help to achieve an even lower weight goal by the end of the year.

Best of luck out there and thanks for sharing all your awesome stories, you inspire us all!