"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." -Jim Rohn

So many people still ask me how I've lost all this weight and the answer I give them is counting calories and exercising. But when I really think about it, it has been SOOOO much more than that. Yes, those are the basic answers, but it goes so much deeper than that. I don't just count calories, I obsess about calories. Some may say that that's unhealthy or too consuming, but ya know what? I've lost 64 pounds because of it. As much as I wish I could be one of those people who loses weight by simply watching what they eat or portion control or whatever, I'm not. The numbers are what have gotten me here. When I say I count calories, I mean that I enter all of my food in my calorie counting app at least one day in advance and stick as closely to it as humanly possible. As time went on, it became an all-consuming aspect of my life. I honestly don't think that I could have done this without becoming slightly obsessed. I kinda hate that it's an obsession, but it is and apparently it's the only way I could have done it. I think it turned into an obsession because that was the only way I could latch on to the discipline. If I was hooked on something and so focused on it that I couldn't ignore it, I would succeed in being disciplined.

I am not the kind of person who sticks with something for too long or is able to really force myself to do something or stick to a plan. Finding this aspect to stick to helped me learn that I can control myself, that I can stay motivated, that I can change something about myself. I don't have to remain a certain way if I don't want to. I can choose who I want to be (to a certain extent). Of course, I have a personality that I was born with, but I can choose what to do with that personality. I can choose to gain new character traits or get rid of old bad ones. I can choose to be positive and I can choose to project confidence. By choosing to change the way I look, I inadvertently chose to gain confidence, to become a better version of myself. I didn't know at the time that I would be doing these things in the long run. I was just focused on looking different, on improving my body. I didn't think about improving my mind, my soul,  and my entire personality. I didn't realize then that I would become a different person.

Counting calories and exercising. That's my answer. I just wish I could truly explain to people the depth of these aspects of my life. But as I've explained here to you, these changes have taught me to include these in other aspects of my life, not just in weight loss. If I can stick to something so hardcore in one way, I can do it in other places. When I start classes again in January (hopefully in January), I have so much confidence in myself to really commit to school and to work my butt off in classes. This time around, I won't be lazy, I won't just get by with my grades. I know how to discipline myself now, I know how to stick to something now, I know what I can handle now. Discipline. Today's post brought to you by the word "discipline". It's a word I only knew how to spell, not a word I knew how to live.