It's all in the confidence!

by Melissa Bufford, originally posted at www.melissabufford.com

I am a Beachbody Coach.  I am not in perfect shape, I am not yet the fittest I have ever been, but I am on a journey, and surrounding myself with people who inspire me and who have like goals.  No one is perfect.  I love the journey I am on.  I like that I was once skinny- not necessarily fit, but I was skinny in  the past.  :)  And then I graduated from College, and started going out and indulging too much.  Lots of drinks, big dinners at many a fancy restaurant just because I could.  Not to mention, I worked as a print buyer in the advertising agencies.  We were wined and dined by printers and mailhouses all over the place!  Muffins, and bagels, and long lunches at amazing places!  Brownies in the afternoon, and after work social hours.  Combine all of that with the usual work place birthday celebrations and the results are well- disasterous! Then add two pregnancies in under two years!  That certainly took it's toll on a body already bulging at the seams!  

Even with all of the above said- WHO CARES!  I love me!  I honestly do!  I somehow really lucked out when it came to the confidence card.  I know many people who assume a girl looking at them is judging and looking at their faults.  I assume she thinks I am really cool and wants to be best friends! lol!  I am half kidding!  But really, I think part of my self-confidence has to do with the way my parents raised me, and the other half my personality.  My Mom NEVER dieted or commented on her looks or weight. At least not around me.  I later found out that she was infact often concerned with her extra weight.  I later learned that she had once been addicted to diet pills.  I had NO idea!  Then there was my Dad who just never really commented or said one thing or another in front of me.  Meaning, he never cared if I looked completely silly when I dressed myself, nor did he even make ANY type of comments in front of me about women.  He was my Dad.  Not a regular person, you know!  I later found out that he is actually IS pretty regular when my sister's at the time Husband alluded to the fact that my Dad not only swore *gasp* but regularly used the F word!  My Sis and I both were shocked- "What, Dad? No WAAAY!"  Giggle- we thought only we did that! *double gasp*  

Then there is me!  Just who I am.  The truth is, I pretty much like EVERYONE!  I think people are great, I love to meet new people and make new friends everywhere I go.  I mostly only think good thoughts about people (unless they are really weird.  And I mean REALLY weird! :))  So, because I am usually thinking only happy thoughts when meeting people, I assume other people are doing the same thing.  Just like I think the paranoid people I know, think people are thinking negative things about THEM, because they are usually thinking negative things about others!  

So, there you go- all of this compliments of my Psychology 101 class at CMU.  (Dad, do you feel good to know what all that money got ya!?)  Kidding, really, I have gone through many stages in my life. I quickly realized that it was not really COOL to like people and always think good thoughts of them.  So I went through a stage when I first got into college, and then again when I graduated from college that I pretended not to like people, and I sighed and rolled my eyes about people!  But it really wasn't ever me!  But I tried to make it be.  My best friend who I sometimes think knows me better than I know myself, just recently told me that my strength was meeting people, and getting people to open up, etc.  I had to just chuckle inside, thinking that is my STRENGTH?  Cause I am totally always trying to hide that part of me.  That is just HALF of how I really want to be!  

After having kids I had a big desire to be the REAL me!  To really truly find out who the real Melissa IS?  Because as much as I have been embarrassed about being the real me in the past, the truth of the matter is, I want my kids to like people.  I want them to be confident, and be nice to people, and not make them feel bad about themselves.  So I have no choice but to let the real Melissa shine so that my daughter and son learn to be true to themselves.  My daughter is already that annoying kid who yells, "HI! HI! HI!" when someone bikes down the road in our neighborhood.  She is truly in so much wonderment when the person isn't bellowing back "Well HELLO new friend!"  And I smile, cause I love that she is EXACTLY ME, and that she has no idea WHY in the world this new person isn't as excited to meet her as she is to meet them!  

So back to the reason I am writing.  I am going to scream it from the rooftop.  YES I AM A BEACHBODY COACH, and NO I AM NOT PERFECT, But I don't care, because an additional 50 pounds on me isn't gonna stop me now.  I love who I am, and I am proud that I went through all I did, because guess what?  The average person can relate to that!  And I love for people to be able to relate to me, and me to them.  And that is THAT!  

Happy Healthy Thoughts!

Melissa