I am living proof...

...that persistence and hard work really can pay off!

This past year has been full of changes for me and not all of them have been directly related to the scale...although, some may argue that the scale might have had an indirect impact. Either way you look at it, my persistence and hard work is paying off.

While the weight loss has been a huge change, the biggest change has been the way I carry myself. My self-confidence has grown tremendously and this has done great things for me, both personally and professionally.

Personally

I no longer feel weak. I know I can drive past a former favorite fast food restaurant and not feel the urge to make a u-turn. I can walk into Starbucks, order a short, non-fat, no whip, sugar-free, upside-down, caramel macchiato, and not feel deprived of taste.

I love shopping for clothes now. I love all of the choices I have in styles, colors, STORES, etc. I am even considering dresses and...gasp...high-heeled shoes. I have gained enough confidence in myself to wear clothes (and shoes) that I never imagined I would (or could).

I take more time in getting myself ready. Meaning, I apply more than just the basic make-up. I take more time when fixing my hair. I take better care of my skin. I want to look as good on the outside as I feel on the inside.

Professionally

I am fortunate to work for an AMAZING company. I have been with this company for nearly 13 years and cannot imagine working anywhere else. I have always had the confidence to do my job well and have feel that I have always been professionally rewarded properly.

For the past four years, I have been pursuing (some would say "pushing for" is a more accurate phrase) an expanded career path for my role in the company. I am happy to announce that my perseverance has paid off because I was recently offered a promotion (which I happily accepted).

I have been very excited about this opportunity since it was first presented to me despite the fact that some have suggested that this promotion only came because I have lost nearly 150 pounds. We can refer to these people as “haters” but I’m not gonna lie…before surgery there were times when I felt I was overlooked for certain promotions because of my weight but this time is different. This time, I know I was offered the promotion because I earned it the old-fashioned way…through persistence and hard work.

Why do I think that? My self-confidence told me so.