Inspiration from an Unexpected Place

Last night my husband called me into the living room to view a clip on Yahoo's "News of the Weird."  I had no idea what to expect but was pleasantly surprised to discover a source of inspiration on my husband's monitor - and I am puzzled as to why Yahoo would call this a weird story.

Here's a link to the video (the newscaster is annoying, but it's worth it to suffer through his antics to get to the story):

http://news.yahoo.com/video/woman-credits-traffic-ticket-200lb-193000218.html

 

To summarize, a year and a half ago, a 400 lb. woman, Jeanette Colantonio, was stopped by a police officer for not wearing her seatbelt.  She was too big for her car's seat belt and receiving the ticket was the spark that ignited her determination to change her life.... and her size!  

 

Later, I read this interview and was impressed with what Mrs. Colantonio had to say about her own journey.  Here are the highlights:

 "...the battle is more mental than physical. If I had not decided that I could do this, I would not have done it. I am constantly conditioning my mind for success. I view and read success stories, I read a lot of health and fitness materials, and I continue to share my journey through my weight loss page. I believe it is vital to envision your success and to believe that it is achievable. If you believe that you can, you can. If you believe that you can’t, you are absolutely right."


"It is absolutely okay to change one unhealthy habit at a time. Sometimes when we go all in, we become overwhelmed.  Go at your own pace and remember doing something is better than doing absolutely nothing. Last but not least, bodies were made to move!! So get MOVING!!!"

Amen!  The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - so GET MOVING!!  Take a step!

We all have our battles in life to fight.  My battle was with food and alcohol - but the biggest fight was within my own head.  Your mindset is what makes or breaks you.  Whether you want to live a healthier life or find a new job, you won't get anywhere unless you change the way you see yourself.

Mrs. Colantonio never mentions what diet she's on but outlines some of what she's doing and it sounds like a different diet than Ideal Protein.  This only proves the point I am trying to make:  Whatever path you choose to reach your destination is the right one but you won't get there until you work on the way you look at yourself and your own abilities.

If Jeanette Colantonio had only felt defeated and hopeless when she received that traffic ticket, I wouldn't be talking about her today.  I can totally identify with the seatbelt issue - there was a time in my life when seatbelts wouldn't reach around me, either.  It's a degrading, painful realization when you discover you've gotten too big for seatbelts. 

I congratulate this woman on her strength and on her willingness to take a negative situation and turn it into a defining moment that changed her life.  What a victory!! I am also thankful that she shared her story for the folks out here who are looking for an inspirational boost!