Finding Inspiration ....

I LOVE THIS! And I found this at the right time... no matter how badly I want to quit, I can't because tomorrow is another break-through, another chance for greatness, another day closer to my goal.

I made lots of copies of this. There is one in my bathroom, one in my closet, one of the fridge... anyplace in my house where I feel discouraged or temptation. 

So last month I moved my elliptical machine and it's now facing a wall, and let's me honest no one wants to stare at a wall even if they are wearing an iPod. So I decided that every month I would add a little inspiration to my wall. I'm a calorie burning woman on a mission to lose the pounds and an attractive (slightly nude) man was exactly what I need to stay on that machine. So this month my inspiration is non other than super studly, Olympic swimmer Anthony Ervin:

Let me tell you how awesome and inspiring he is 

• his tats are and glasses giving me hipster realness
• he wears pretty panties swim trunks
• he's a Cal alum/swimmer ...what's in that water at Cal Berkeley they have an awesome swim program that but do they also require their males to be completely gorgeous (have you seen Nathan Adrian??)
• his hair (wow do I sound like a fan girl???)
• this is the kind of cat that I can see myself sitting down with a cup of tea having a deep, meaningful conversation with
• he swims the 50 Meter
• his story is completely inspiring 

I'm always to say that weight has been a life-long issue for me. There has never been a time when I haven't been fat. Okay that's not true, there were a few years when I was normal weight as referenced in this picture (I was so ahead of my time fashion wise... how many little kids do you know that can rock a periwinkle swing trench-coat?)

I always remembered high school fondly, and I guess I sugar coated it by "remembering" myself with an athletic build..I don't even think I look the same, in all fairness I have been through a life-time of medical issues since then (numerous illnesses, hospitalizations, and two liver transplants). And in my lifetime I have been anywhere from 160 to 300 pounds... strangely enough before I decided to actively lose weight I was larger than I was in that picture (I estimate I was 250 lbs in that photo)

Tyra @ 17                                          Tyra @ 35

So why is this so inspiring? It reminds me that I've come s long way...and still have a long way to go!

About a week ago Sunshine proposed a challenge to her teams to create a collage as part of a contest. I've used this silhouette before in a collage that was in this post and thought that it would be perfect for the contest. The theme: Different Women, One Goal. I think at the end of the day that sums up the Blue Team. I love them, they inspire me EVERY day. We share our challenges and our successes and it makes this journey so much easier to travel. I can say 100% that if I didn't have the support I would have gotten this far, and would have quiet a long time ago. 

Inspiration is Everywhere, even online.

"Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement."
Brian Tracy, Eat that Frog

Glamour in Progress - Tyra vs. The Beauty Box

One of the things that I promised myself when I started losing weight was that I was going to start treating myself, taking a little bit more pride in my appearance, glamming myself up every now and then which is difficult for me since I consider myself traditional girl-next-door with major tomboy tendencies. I had been hearing a lot about the different Beauty Sample Subscription services… did some research and priced them and totally fell in love. I might actually be addicted to them. What I love about these services is that they make awesome gifts for Bridesmaids. Something you give your mom or your best friend, even the guy in your life. Or in my case a little treat that I give myself each month. The boxes range between $10-25
 

I got wind of Julep through the  nail group that I'm apart of on Facebook. I love that group. It's a wealth of information about polishes and nail art all while staying on a budget... they inspire me to have super cute nails.. EVERYDAY! One of the things that I love about Julep is it's so flexible. If you don't like the polishes for that month you can choose a box from a different style profile, or if it's just not in your budget you can skip that month with no penalty what so ever... plus I got my very first box for a penny!  (Use code mavenintro or color2012 to get your intro box) ... Who doesn't love that?!!! Your box is based on a profile that you pick out and based on your answers you will fall into the following style profiles: American Beauty, Boho Glam, Bombshell (I fall into that category... duh!!), Classic with a Twist and IT Girl. Each month I spend $19.99 for the box which is nice because Julep nail polish generally retails for $14 per bottle. Each month I either get 2-3 polishes and a goody.

Photo courtesy of  www.pinchofpretty.com

This past month I forgot to take a picture of my Maven box ( I borrowed this from the website)...which had 2 polishes designed by Trina Turk and a full size mascara.

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FINAL VERDICT 4.5/5