Weekend Jacka-Note…personal victory

I hope you don’t mind if I share a personal victory with you.

I joke around with some bragging sometimes, but really feel pretty reluctant to show this kind of picture because it seems kind of vain.

Anyway if it didn’t represent such a powerful personal victory, I would probably keep it quiet.

I was one of those skinny guys when I got married–almost 15 years ago.  I always had manual, out door type jobs and then went quickly into sales after my marriage.

Well…it wasn’t but a year or two before I picked up 20+ pounds, and kept gaining slowly over the next 14 years.  Like many people, I would go on diets–Atkins, cabbage soup, Zone, diet pills, etc.–but would quickly pack the weight on as soon as I stopped actively working at it.

If you’ve ever struggled with your weight, I don’t have to tell you how discouraging that can be!  I worked out at the gym, tried to eat right (well…sort of) and generally just picked away at the job over the years.

Last year (Nov of 2007), I had a serious wake up call when I was shooting a video for a www.Velma.com  web presentation.  I couldn’t believe how chubby I had become and wasn’t at all ready to concede.

The problem was, I felt totally discouraged about the “Battle of the Bulge”.  I had tried so many things.  I kept wondering if my body and metabolism had just changed for good.  Maybe I was fighting a losing battle?

To compound it all, the mortgage industry was (is) in a melt down of historic proportions.  I felt stressed out, tired and always ready for a beer and a burger.

I remembered a bunch of Before/After pictures covering the wall of the Idaho Athletic Club.  There was this crazy trainer, Matt Brundage, who seemed to be helping people really get results.  http://www.elitefiteducate.com/

To make a long story short, I hired Matt and he set up a very balanced (but aggressive) program of work out and meal plans.  There is a lot more to the journey–lots of discouraging moments and self-doubt along the way–but I’ll write about that later.  To sum it up, I have lost 57 pounds and feel better than ever.  I just have to say that having a personal trainer like Matt helped me see a better kind of life–one I had almost given up hope could ever be mine again.  Thank you, Matt!

I share this story because I know that many of us are struggling with very disheartening circumstances.   The mortgage business is not easy or fun for most of us at the moment.  The steep path I climbed to physical fitness reminds me that determination, deep desire, visualization of a perfect outcome and consistent effort WILL turn despair into victory.

Today, I feel energized, strong and excited.  My focus and optimism are at higher levels than ever before.

Thank you for allowing me to share a very personal victory.

Jacob “The Jackalope” Nordby