Wow...time flies. Two weeks ago I was in PEI at Paul's Fitness Seminar/Bootcamp. I usually blog about these kinds of things right away but time has gotten away from me. Either way this was a great event and one that I won't soon forget. This bootcamp was a bit different for me as I was asked to talk and share a bit of my story with everyone. Although I knew since late Nov. that I would be doing this it never really hit me until the week before that this was going to happen. Of course the week before didn't go without any stress. I had the "oh my God I can't do this" thoughts, what if I passed out, what if I forgot what I was talking about, what if I looked like a fool etc. This group (140 people) was by far the largest group I've ever talked with. I knew I couldn't back out but I was scared to death!! I guess "Do one thing a day that scares you" would be taken care of for a while on this day! :) The weather sounded like it was going to fail me leaving me with the decision of leaving earlier in the morning, going over a day early or taking my chances that the weatherman would be wrong. That could never happen though, they are never wrong. :) I also had to consider the thoughts of two other girls who were traveling with me. This was something that was very special to them so if it happened that I made the wrong choice I not only would be crushed but so would they. Well...this time the weatherman wasn't wrong. On Friday we got a snowstorm and I had to decide if we should leave in the middle of it, drive slowly and stay in NB for the night of if I should wait it out. Myself and Renee decided to wait it out but to leave earlier than planned on Sat. morning. We decided to leave at 4AM, then 3:30AM (when Paul invited us for breakfast) and then finally decided to leave at 2AM so we could still meet our 7:30AM breakfast date. Lucky for us the storm ended at supper time on Friday allowing the plow drivers some time to clear a path for us on the highway. Although road conditions were far from perfect we still did it. Crazy as it sounds I think we'd all do it again too. Everything worked perfect that morning. Renee met me at the house earlier than planned, Lori-Anne met us at the NB/NS border earlier than planned allowing us to get into PEI at 7:05AM. We sat in the lounge area at the hotel and relaxed for a bit before Paul came downstairs. We couldn't have planned it any better!! :)
On Friday evening Graham decided that because this was such a special event for me that he wanted to be there to support me. It meant everything to me knowing he wanted to be there. He was the best source of support I could have asked for as I sat in the gym before the bootcamp started. I can't remember ever being so nervous!! Having him right beside me telling me that I would be fine went a long way for sure. I remember whispering to him that perhaps since Paul and I hadn't talked about me talking in a bit that he had forgotten about it and I wouldn't have to face all these people. I swear Paul "felt that vibe" as it was then that he came over and told me when he was going to introduce me. Holy crap...this WAS happening!! Funny thing was as I listened to Paul introduce me (first time I'd ever been introduced for anything) the nervousness went away. Graham knew I could do this and Paul felt I could or he wouldn't have asked so I knew I was going to be ok. When I got up and started to talk I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I can't explain the feeling any better than that. I felt comfortable, almost like I was talking with friends. I had a period of time to convince as many people as I could that they could make the same change I did and that losing weight was a fight worth fighting for. I got an applause in the middle of my talk when I mentioned I was able to accomplish a dream of mine by climbing Mount Washington. That's when I knew they were really listening. :) At the end I looked back to thank Paul as he was coming towards me for a high-five. That was the best high-five ever and a great way to end my talk. It was my way of saying "hell ya, I did it"!! :) After the bootcamp there was a meet and greet and I met lots of people who said they were inspired by my story, some who had their own stories (that inspired me) to share, and some who just wanted to thank me for sharing and congratulate me on a job well done. Either way it was great meeting every one of them. The day ended with a great lunch with Paul before we took him back to the airport. We had lots of laughs, the girls got to pick his brain a bit and of course it wouldn't be a visit with him without some "interesting" conversation topics. After all was said and done I'm sure the girls enjoyed the visit as much as Graham and I did. They got to meet someone they didn't think they'd ever meet and Graham and I got to visit with a friend. Would we do it again, absolutely!!
A few days later after when some of the excitement died down I got an email from a lady that brought tears to my eyes. I forwarded some of it to Paul and he replied by saying "that's why we do this". At that very moment I realized something. I looked at my weight loss journey as coming full circle now because it really started with Paul's first bootcamp and now I was talking at a bootcamp so I had nothing left to do, but I was wrong. My journey has turned to a new chapter. I'm not so worried about my own loss anymore, it's about making sure others know THEY can reach their goals too. It's about trying to pass on what I've learned in the last two years, making suggestions on what has worked for me. Most of all, it's about being there for motivational support for people who feel they are going through this journey on their own. They are never alone, I'm always there to lend a hand, an ear, or a kick to the butt, whatever they need, I'm there.
