Respect Yourself: Past and Present

I believe most of you have heard the statement, "You can't know where you're going, unless you know where you've been." I'm sure this is probably a recycled quotation that has been translated in many different ways, across multiple cultures. I certainly believe and consistently remind myself to not only acknowledge the past, but also to respect it.

Reasons to RESPECT your past health choices:

1. In case you may have forgotten- We're ALL human!

• We often spend too much time comparing our past choices with others; yet, we also seem to forget the common denominator: that we're human. 

2. Your past health choices make up who you are today.

• whatever your health choices were, up until this present point , have made you what you are today.
1. You can either acknowledge those choices and be content with them -or-
2.  You can waste precious time degrading yourself for those past decisions
• What's the common denominator here? (All of those choices are in the past, and there is nothing you can do to change them! You can only move forward!!!)

3. If you respect the person that you are today, then you have no choice but to respect the decisions that brought you here, as well as the lessons you learned along the way.

• Personally, I am not proud of every time I binge ate junk food, went back for seconds and thirds, or tossed 2.5 servings of soda down my throat in one sitting, but along the way I learned some valuable lessons and educated myself on subjects such as (portion size, portion control, carbohydrates, proteins, potassium, blood pressure, etc.)
• I could not be the educated person I am today, without having experienced these situations first-hand.

4. When you respect the past you ultimately learn one of the greatest lessons of all: YOU'RE STILL THE ONE AND ONLY YOU!!!

• This reason is very special to me, because I realize that whether I am a 272 lb. Forrest or a 170lb. Forrest, at the end of the day I am STILL Forrest!
• This will also make you realize that you are capable of and adaptable to change and transformation; you begin to recognize that you are capable of so many things that you never thought you were capable of before. 

I'll leave you with a quotation (of which I'm unable to locate the definite origin):

"You cannot expect others to respect you, if they see that you don't even respect yourself." 

Everyday, I confidently walk out of my door armed with the knowledge and lessons of my past, knowing that my present state is a result of my ever-constant journey of positivity, and realizing that my future is limitless. With a little education, acknowledgement and respect of those past choices, you will be on your way to an abundance of future, positive and healthy choices!!

Peace, love and Nutella!

-Forrest