One of the most impactful moments in my life was in grade 6, when I was called fat (and worse names) for the first time.

Coming to a new country was hard enough, but having self-image issues was way more difficult at such a young age.

When I look at this moment in my life, it changed the way I perceived myself. It caused a lot of self-doubt, anxiety, and forced me to hide behind something other than myself.

My self-identity was tied to the mental image I created in my own head, which was correlated to my physical appearance.

Shortly after I began focusing on self-care, not only did I begin having a healthier association with my physical self, but my mentality and outlook on life changed for the better.

I was waiting for inspiration and motivation to hit me, thinking "one day I'll be motivated to exercise". Little did I know, that TAKING ACTION was actually the secret that I had been searching for.

Day by day, I aimed to get just a little bit better, 1% at a time. I learned the celebrate the small wins and embrace the type of person I was becoming.

We are often our own worst critics and generally have a tendency to judge ourselves on a pretty tough scale.

There's times (even today) where I still feel like that boy in grade 6. But today, I'm proud of the person I'm becoming, not the person I once was.

You too can change, simply by taking small actions on a consistent basis.

❤️