Colleen Vasile
About 2 months ago, after putting months of heartfelt thought into creating a testimonial for Lift, I finally began the process of putting pen to paper. I wanted to write about my experiences training and prepping for the bikini competition I had decided to enter for my 40th birthday. As I jotted down random pertinent thought fragments throughout the course of my days, I began to develop a kind of excitement. The kind you feel when you finally start to understand something you’ve struggled for a long time to get. However, as I sat down to put everything together into a coherent piece of writing, I had no idea just how big of a personal project this would shape up to be.
Because of everything I’ve learned and everything I’ve experienced through Jess Kelly’s guidance, I can without question say that I am a changed person. These are lessons that I had to learn for myself through life experience. Things that 4 years of college didn’t teach me. Lessons that pertain to the gym, but also to life.
I’ve been taught that tough times don’t last and that as long as you STICK WITH YOUR GOALS, there is no reason in the world you won’t see success. No matter how slow, if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other, you CAN climb a mountain or run a marathon. You don’t have to be the best, the fastest, the strongest. Just the most CONSISTENT, and the most PERSISTENT. It’s okay to have a bad day or two as long as you just KEEP GOING. I’ve learned that getting older means getting smarter, stronger, and better adjusted to face everything life throws at you. I’ve learned that I can get along without junk food on a daily basis. I’ve learned NOT to sacrifice long-term goals for something I may want only RIGHT NOW. And, thanks to Jess, after 40 years, I’ve finally got a great picture of myself in a bathing suit!
I’ve learned more about myself and what the secret to success really is through this process. And as I continue to write, I continue to learn. The “real” testimonial I started may never be finished… I never want to stop growing, learning and celebrating personal victories at the gym and in my life. Everyone deserves to feel like this at some point in their lives. With Lift’s help, I am challenging some very long-standing personal beliefs I’ve always taken for granted as concrete truths. I’m slowly but surely watching myself change from an “I can’t” person to an “I can if I keep trying” one! Every personal training session is another chance to prove that I can do it.
~Colleen
