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 By: Charles D'Angelo Many people in today's society speak of different worlds. Some cite race issues, ethnicity, religion, and other differences as causing a break in society which all too often leads to outright discrimination. I have read many articles and have yet to see two different worlds with regard to the fat person's world and the skinny person's world. I have had the fortune of getting to see both sides of these two worlds.
At seventeen, I weighed almost 350 lbs! I was living in a total hell. Although I went to a high school where the guys were very accepting of my size, I felt absolutely terrible about myself. Later, I would learn that my feelings and the situations I found myself in were not out of the ordinary. Many overweight teens experience terrible episodes of teasing, public ridicule, and sometimes even physical bullying. Luckily, I very rarely had to experience any of that in the school setting.
With their acceptance, I continued on the path to what would eventually have led to an early death. Outside of school, I had no social life. I could never find a date to any event; I had to do everything alone or with my younger brother or sister for company. This meant no dances, sporting events, or nights out to the movies.
  Click To Enlarge.As a seventeen year old male, this was devastating. I saw other guys with stunning girls that I could only dream of dating someday. What got me was that I saw guys that were large and not really "studs" who had beautiful girls, too. I always asked myself why I couldn't have that.
Now, just a year ago, the same girls who rejected me, are calling me asking to go out! No joke. Guys that I considered to be "jocks" and "stuck up" are now asking for my advice on fitness and wellness. How did I do a total 180 in life? With my transformation being featured on Bodybuilding.com recently, my e-mail has been flooded with stories and notes from guys and girls who have had similar experiences to my own.
Click To Enlarge.Read More About Charles' Transformation Here. They too see a need to transform their lives, and are asking me how to go about it - how to make that first step. These readers clearly want to know what they need to do to start changing their lives now!
When I was 350 lbs., a typical day was very lonely. I talked rarely to others inside or outside of school. I had to force myself out of bed, dreading what was to come in the day. I buried myself in reading, studying, and playing the piano, and essentially hiding myself totally from the reality and problems a fat kid has in life.
It's normal, I've come to learn, but back then I always feared my ego would be hurt one way or another. My experience of being overweight put up barriers to finding the real me inside. It was only after I started realizing that I was important and making my goals an utmost priority that I started to discover who I was meant to be. This leads me to my first step in achieving a positive self-esteem. Make Your Goal A Priority!
Stop putting things off until tomorrow! Start right now! There is not a legitimate excuse to wait!
 To Learn More About Goal Setting Click Here.
I know that I lost many opportunities at making good friends, simply, due to fear of rejection. I thought that if I would go out some place with a group of people I would end up being the bud of the jokes, be left out, and have an absolutely terrible time. This left me alone and miserable. Stop and look around you. There are people that want to be a part of your life if you'll let them be. I wish I would have. A Network Of Support
This network of friends serves to buffer the effects of any stressor that may deter you from achieving your goal! Start talking to others - today! If you are in school or the workplace begin to introduce yourself to students or coworkers. It can be as simple as a "Hi, my name is... ".
 Click To Enlarge.A Network Of Support Will Get You Through The Stress. If you are in college, asking what a person's major always seems to start up a conversation. In the grocery stores make eye contact and smile. You'll notice people will smile back! You can do it! I did!
I found that by visualizing where you want to end up and working backwards from that picture, you can more easily achieve results. Think about your life as a movie, and you're a member of the audience in the theater. How would you view your character in the movie? Is your character actively working to change his or her life? Another technique is if you are trying to lose weight think about the clothing size that you want to be able to fit into. Think about exactly how you want to look with your shirt off! Think about how you will feel when you look in the mirror! Start thinking about the steps you need to follow to get to that goal by working backwards - It works!
To Learn More About Mind Power Click Here.
I still see things that I want to improve upon everyday. In order to promote a positive self image, you must realize that the road to good health is just that - a road. It is not an end destination. It is a lifelong journey. If you wake up in the morning and think that you look perfect and feel perfect then you probably won't end up in the gym that day. You won't be eating the right foods and definitely won't be displaying a good attitude toward others. Always see that there is room for improvement in all aspects of life-otherwise you will become stagnant - I promise!!
 Click To Enlarge. You Don't Want To Become Stagnant.
Make it a point to associate with positive people as much as possible. Look for friends that feel the same way you do about living a healthy lifestyle. If you are trying to lose weight but are going out every weekend with people who want to eat at fast food restaurants at midnight, then you know it won't be easy achieving your goal.
You must find those people who are trying to improve their own lives, too. Maybe the goals are not in the area of weight loss, but other areas of their life, perhaps. Negative People
These types of negative - or "toxic" - people will try to sabotage your successes by making you feel that what you have accomplished is not worthwhile or everlasting. Take these kinds of comments with a grain of salt. It is simply the green eyed envy monster who has taken control of these people. They hate seeing success. Seeing what you have achieved makes them uncomfortable since they can't have it.
This takes a lot to be able to separate yourself from people that you thought were friends. In order to get yourself to where you want to be, you have to do it!
This is a good starting place to getting on the road to a healthy self-esteem level. I believe in destiny. You have read this article for a reason. You clicked on the link for a reason. You are meant to improve your life. Please start today! You can have everything you want even sooner by starting today! There is no reason not to. Review these steps often and watch your self-esteem skyrocket! Associate with good, positive people. These friends will help you as you transform your life. Remember to thank them often.
 Click To Enlarge. Associate With Good, Positive People. Look for my next article in a couple of weeks! If you have any questions before then, feel free to e-mail me.
Best of luck,
Your friend, Charles D'Angelo
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