The Journey That Brought Me Here


 

Today is February 28th, 2018. Two years ago to the day I made a change which would ensure my life would never be the same ever again...

February 28th, 2016- it's the evening of the Academy Awards. Sylvester Stallone is nominated for his legendary performance as Rocky Balboa in Creed. I am hanging out with several friends that evening full of anticipation and nerves, as I await to see my hero get a well-deserved Oscar statue he has been waiting 39 years to get.

You see what happened though is he lost, and I hit a breaking point. 

For 19 years of my life I portrayed a false confidence, I acted like I was happy with who I was, and I myself gave an Academy Award winning performance. It was nothing but an act, an act that everyone believed.

In my Sophomore year, and I reached 230 pounds. My whole life I struggled with my weight, but instead of admitting how unhappy I was, I decided to act as if no one could compare to me, and that I was the greatest. Although this may have been what people perceived me to be, on the inside I knew I was nothing but a kid who had dreams of being successful, but allowed myself to settle for being average. 

In the beginning of my second semester of my Sophomore year, a series of events continued to occur that kept making me less willing to move forward with any excitement. I progressively lost more hope in myself and in my future. 

Rocky has been my favorite movie ever since I was a couple months old. I watch a scene from the franchise every single day of my life at the very least. I did this ever since I was little, because nothing gave me a sense of belief that you can be a champion in your life than Rocky.

I was the kid who was picked last in gym. I was the student who failed classes in high school. I was the kid who got rejected more times than he could count.

There were three constants in my life though that kept me moving forward: the love for my family, my passion for the New York Yankees, and the inspiration Rocky Balboa gave me to get up in the morning. 

His loss devastated me because this character gave me hope, and I had to watch his hope taken away from him. He earned that award, he deserved that award. 

Nothing in my life could go right. I had no idea what in the world could possibly make me happy at this point.

That night will forever be in my memory, because something within me had awoken, and has not gone away since.  

I remember going to bed that night thinking to myself "I need to make a change, I am no longer letting anyone else determine my happiness."

The next day I woke up and I began to run, but the thing is I didn't stop, I kept on running. It was something I hadn't felt before, it was pure determination to be better than who I was at that moment

The running didn't stop, the gym became my home, and I began to have the "Eye of the Tiger" every single second of the day. 

The journey began on that day, a day I will never forget.

I had one goal from that day on, I was going to become Rocky Balboa, on this day two years ago I decided to Get Better.

I would like to officially welcome you to Get Better- A place where I hope your journey begins, like mine did on February 28th, 2016.