Blubber To Runner

Since I started this blog, I have received some amazing feedback and support… and even met a few new people along the way.  It’s been great!  But, as I said when this first started – this blog is an accountability for all of my actions.  I will not hold back, even when I don’t do well… like now.

I had a REAL tough week last week.  My running was terrible, my WeightWatchers – although I still stayed on track – could have been better, and I was very snippy with people.  Problem is… I don’t know why.  Could’ve been the real big dinner I had with Mom and Dad when they came down, could be that I’m slow right now at work and I’m not used to hitting valleys like this, could be that I’m just very lonely right now… I really don’t know. 

So… I decided I need to reach out to some of the people that have motivated me in my quest to Total Health.  These three individuals are some of the most positive people I have ever been blessed to know.  I asked them the same question:  “What is it that keeps you motivated every single day?”  I can’t begin to tell you how amazing their answers were, so I’ll let them tell you with their own words.

JORDAN – Jordan (real name Marieo, AKA Superman) is one of the most well-rounded individuals I know.  He is a decorated veteran, a dedicated family man with a bee-YOUUUU-tee-ful wife and remarkable children, runs his own company and has been in the law enforcement/ security business for over 18 years.  If you only knew what this man has done to protect you (yes, you who may have never met him or seen him before) it would blow you away.  I am fortunate enough to call him a friend and, although I am no longer married, he was a lector at my wedding which to me was a truly special moment that day.  Here’s a snippet of his answer:


“My motivation is and has been my faith in Christ. Whenever I’ve found myself doing the wrong things I almost instinctively knew that something bad would come my way and sure enough it did. Likewise Whenever I made tough decisions that I knew were the right things to do I always seemed to be shown favor and positive things would happen in my life.”

“I believe the measure of a person is not what you have or who you know but instead where you have been and what you have taken from your experiences and how that knowledge will allow to bless someone else’s life while improving upon your own.”

SCOTT – Scott and I have known each other for about 2 years now through my boy Vince (aka DJ Kuba from my ‘Quiet On The Set!’ podcast).  We have common interests, we chat on Facebook over things like Yankees/ Red Sox, Giants/ Patriots, Nets/ Celtics (well, there hasn’t been much to talk about on that last one…) and music.  But Scott is, without a doubt, the single most positive person I know.  When I set out to lose all of this weight, I thought of Scott and what he’s done to lose now almost 90 pounds in the last year.  Literally… my first thought was him.  I saw skinny Scott and about fell out.  He was the life of the party… drink anyone under the table… need to do something CRAZY – he was your guy.  Kinda sounds like this other guy I know – me.  So, when I saw Scott doing these amazing things, I actually realized that I could do it as well.  It was the first time I felt a change could really be successful, because I saw a lot of me in him – and he was doing it.  Here’s some of what he said:


“There are alot of things that keep me on the right track but the biggest part is the love and support from my friends and family so definitely use that as a big motivator. Everyday people say how proud they are of me and that I need to keep it up. I listen.”

“My motivators are knowing everyday that I take care of myself and stay on track and keep “bringing it” and working hard its going to benefit me later in life. Knowing that Ive been an inspiration to you and others makes me proud of what Ive been able to accomplish and it makes me want to achieve even higher goals and keep pushing myself to new levels of success.”


“At the end of the day there is no one that will benefit from all your hard work than you. There isn’t a single good reason not to do it. It will help you out in so many aspects of your life just as it has for me.”

DEMETRIUS – Demetrius (I still call him Face, but he goes by D-Trust as well… it’s hard to keep up!) will be more famous than all y’all… trust me.  And I’m not kidding either.  This man sings, dances, acts – and wins awards for his performances, produces, manages talent… plus I’m sure I missed a few things as well.  Face pushes harder and works on his craft more than any person in any job I know.  The man simply never quits.  And he doesn’t just do it for himself – he tries to help others in these fields succeed as well.  Plus, the dude’s NEVER UNHAPPY.  He’s got a million dollar smile and always has it on.  The only time he’s ever mad is when he gives all of us blessings (inside joke for Demetrius fans LMAO).  On top of all this, he too is a veteran as well as an amazing father.  I needed to find out how he stays on the grind and stays poistive throughout everything he does, and here’s what he said:


“Please know that we are all human and there are temptations, distractions, and all other sorts of challenges we must overcome daily. There will be folks that tell us we can’t do it for whatever reasons they may have but, we must remember why we are doing what we are doing.”

“I don’t have time for the negative. However, I will use it as fuel to keep me positive. It only re-enforces what I’m trying to accomplish in my life. There are so many that want to see us fail but, there 10x that many that want us to succeed. I wish I could tell you I’ve never slipped or not made the right choice but, I don’t like to lie so that I can’t tell you. Just be honest with yourself when you get weak and ask yourself if what you’re doing at that moment is helping you towards your goal. What I will tell you is that for each step backward I may fall I take three giant steps forward to make up for them. “

These gentlemen are all really amazing people… and they’re just normal dudes!  They have fantastic core values, amazing focus and determination I can only hope to gain someday. 

Now, it’s great to ask for help and advice, but it’s only effective if you can take something from it.  After hearing with these three men had to say, I realized a few things:

*  I definitely need to reconnect with my faith, 
*  I need to remember that I can rely on my friends and family and that this isn’t a battle I need to wage on my own,
*  I need to always remember the end-game… what my goals are… and whatever decisions I make I need to know if its going to help me or hurt me in my quest to complete my goal, and
*  I am not perfect, and I will stumble… but it’s how I react to that stumble and what I do afterward that will ensure I may have lost a battle, but will not lose the war.

Finally – to Jordan, Scotty and Demetrius… thank you.  You’re all true inspirations to me and I am fortunate to call each of you a friend.  Thank you for allowing me to post your words of wisdom… I know they helped me and I am sure they will help others as well. 

And last but not least… there’s no way I can end this particular blog without saying this:

“TAKE CARE AND MAD BLESSINGS!”