What if I told you I love being XXL size?

I think it happens to most of us that when we’re a teenager we love listening to music, and the louder, the better. There’s something special in having the volume high. You can better appreciate the song, the music, the lyrics, the voice. All that gets into your body, into each of your cells and you can feel yourself vibrating with it. As if they become YOUR world. Your private world. In it, you find the expressions of all your feelings, depending on the song you’re listening to. I used to sing, dance and enjoy every song I liked and I even thought my voice was similar to the singers! What a dreamer!

Forty years later, I find myself still dreaming although the volume of the music I listen to is much lower. I sing some different songs although I still enjoy a good oldie. I sometimes sing, but laugh at myself because some lyrics have kind of disappeared from my memory and my voice is not what it used to be. On top of that, I’m out of tune most of the times! I also still dance, but not jumping any longer, I keep another rhythm nowadays. I think this happens to most of us as well.

We all go through constant changes in our lives, some are fast, some are slow, some are conscious changes, some unconscious. I have seen a very positive change during the last three months. A change in me. My size increased! Mostly every woman would not like it, but I am delighted! I am not talking about my weight; I’m talking about my inner size.

Whenever we want to lose weight, we need to plan in advance how much weight we want or need to lose. We also need to plan what to eat so we can have at home the needed ingredients to achieve our goal. This will help us reach our star desired weight, we could even get to a much better weight! The plan not only consists of light and healthy meals but also an exercise routine and good habits like drinking lots of water. In life, we also need to have a plan to succeed. We need to start by the end. How would we like our life to be when we’re 80? What steps do I need to take to get there healthy, with good memory, good teeth, and not become like the pantaloon from Shakespeare’s poem The Seven Ages of Man? “the lean and slippered pantaloon, with spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,his youthful hose well saved, a world too wide, for his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice, turning again towards childish treble, pipes and whistles in his sound.”  If you need to make changes -many people do- for a better life, it’s now the time to do it, the sooner the better so you don’t waste a minute of it.

Investing in your life is the best you can do. J. Paul Getty, American-born British petroleum industrialist, shared a formula he used in his life and can be very beneficial for ours. It has three steps, 1-get up early. Jim Ritchie from Acton School of Business said: “Get up early because no matter when you get up, your future competitor is usually already at its post.” 2-work hard. Nobody has ever got anything without hard work. 3-find oil. Although this one may sound a joke, it is not. Once you have found the idea, the product or a service to develop your talents, it becomes the oil of your life. This formula can be worked together with David B. Haight three-step action plan. Get your education, make your mark and be prepared to serve. Get as much knowledge as you can. Make your mark by becoming really good or the best at something. Once achieving your success, be prepared to give back by serving others.  

I would not recommend to make great changes from one day to another. You wouldn’t survive. Little by little is the way. Little things are important. Our lives are the sum of little moments, little changes, little lessons, little experiences. One day, when we are old enough to answer the questions made by our grandchildren, Grandma, will you tell me about your life?, we can smile widely and simply answer: come, sit next to me, I have so many stories to tell you! I was a young woman who once was a dreamer…and enjoy sharing them with your little ones.

Our richness is in each of the family members, by the legacy we leave for them. My Dad’s legacy was to make people around him smile, which I do now. It was also to enjoy classical music. Which I love. He taught me how to drive when I was 13. I still keep driving and keep it slow, as he used to say “if you run, you cannot enjoy the drive”. My Mum’s legacy was to be punctual. I am never late for an appointment or a meeting. She was a hard worker, which I inherited. She was a strong woman. I consider myself one. I could list so many other marks left by them and many others around me which were great examples. I’m trying nowadays to leave that personal mark as well.

When I was young I wondered many times what my life would be like when I was old. I wanted to visualize myself and I have learned that true finishers have the capacity to visualize their objective. I think I am in the best time of my life. I am old enough to look back and see so many achievements, with enough experience and faith to face the struggles that may come. Young enough to start all over again, full of energy to live the adventures still to come. 

Someone wrote: “Sit with yourself. Discover yourself. Get to know who you are, what you want and how you plan to get it. Stop following others and start leading yourself.” You are special. You are a leader and a hero. Your mind size is the one that matters. Your life is precious, don’t waste your time. Stand up and make your dreams come true, I’m sure you will be unstoppable!