A Letter to the Future Me...

July 10, 2012

Dear Future Angie,

Now that you've gotten much farther along on the journey and you look back to this time in your life where you began to make these incredible changes in your life, there are some things I want you to remember.

First, remember that you didn't do this alone.  Oh, you did the hard work.  You were the one in the pool at 6:00 AM on those cold winter mornings, and then later in the gym after long hard days, working off these pounds, but you were never alone.  You had great support all along the way.  Your family and friends were and are extraordinary.  They encouraged and enabled you every step along the path.  In fact, without them, you probably would have never gotten to where you are now.  Don't forget to thank them, and to acknowledge the tremendous role they played in shaping the "you" that you now are.

Next, remember that this journey was about so much more than losing weight.  It was about a complete transformation of yourself into who you are now.  You quite literally are not who you once were.  You lost a lot more than weight along the way. 

You lost your insecurity about your place in this world, and replaced it with the knowledge that you have wonderful things to share with the world.  You looked for and found ways to do that, and you impacted many lives because you stepped out of your self-imposed shell.  Don't ever go back in it! 

You lost the belief that life is something that happens to you completely out of your control, and replaced it with the understanding that you had choices about what...and who...you allowed to be in your life.  You began to make wise choices after suffering some great hurts in this process, because this lesson was a difficult one to learn.  Don't forget that pain is not wasted when it's a source of growth. 

You lost the limitations that you used to think were yours, and replaced them with an adventurous spirit and willingness to try new things, to press beyond what you used to think your limits were. You became persuaded of the belief that once your mind was set, you could do anything you desired.  Don't ever confine yourself with artificial limits now that you know the power of your mind to effect the things you want in life.

But perhaps most importantly on this journey, you learned one key truth, and I am confident that you are still living it out now.  You learned that loving and accepting yourself JUST AS YOU ARE is the key to the whole process of allowing and empowering yourself to change into the New Angie.  Yes, you've changed much of who and what you were, but you loved yourself along the way, even when you had more weight on your body than you wanted. Even when some people found you unlovable.  Even when you weren't making progress on the journey.  Even when the days were long and difficult.  No matter what happened, you learned to love you.  Not the "you" you are now...the "you" you were then. 

I'm writing you these things so that you can remember who you are, where you came from, and know for certain that where you are going is just the rest of the journey.  Because one other big thing you learned through all of this is that the journey never ends.  It's called life.  Go live it well!

Much love,
You