I kid you not, the high school version of me on the left won the "Biggest Procrastinator" superlative 4 straight years. To say I've changed since then would be an understatement.

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I used to define my life as "go with the flow". In all truth, I wasn't very happy. I wasn't very motivated, I just lived. I remember once looking up on YouTube "how to be happy?".

I remember feeling totally deflated, without purpose, and doubting my worth.

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About 4 years ago, I made a simple decision to myself internally. I decided to start living my life trying to be the best version of myself. I stopped comparing myself to others, and began to compare myself only to my past self.

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The gym was a great place for me to practice my new mentality. It was one physical thing I could do each day and progress from the day before. For the first time in my life, I could feel myself making objective progress. I began to prove to myself that I AM capable, and nobody could take that away from me.

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This foundational perspective of simply "being my best self" slowly but surely had a positive ripple effect on my entire life. I learned what it meant to create my own happiness, and I began trying my best at the things I was passionate about.

All stemming from this perspective, I became more sure of myself, I became so close to my family, and I began to improve mentally, physically, and academically.

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I can't help but see the superficial stigma associated with fitness and the gym. To me, fitness is not about looking good to show off to others. It's a physical manifestation of the foundational perspective that changed my life,

"Being the best version of myself".