Hope — it is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness.
Almost one year ago I was shopping for my bathing suit for my Miss Arizona competition. I went to beach bunny. It was the first time I had ever been there and I was a bit overwhelmed by all the beautiful suites. I tried a couple on and felt they were a bit too revealing for what I was doing and the competition I was running for (that must have been my conservative side speaking haha). As I was finishing changing a girl walked in and was picking up her suit for a fitness competition that was being held locally. She was very lean and muscular. As I overheard her talking to the sales lady she had just a couple days until her big day! She was super tan and ready to rock in her bikini from beach bunny in its sexy fashion. In my head, I will never forget what I was thinking. Mitch are you ready for this … I told myself I could never imagine doing a fitness competition and never in a million years looking as lean and solid as she did. In fact I knew it wasn’t possible for me to look the way she did just given my body structure and in all honesty I could never imagine wearing such a revealing suit.
Here I am in the moment presently writing an experience I would have never imagined I would do. I just completed my very first NPC fitness bikini class competition as a representation of UGG. Mitch this is to you. I am inspired by people everyday-most importantly endeavors’ I thought in a million years I would never consider let alone directly being a participant of. Here are a few: As a marathon runner, a contestant for Miss Arizona, a community advocate, a volunteer, a graduate at ASU, a client of a personal trainer, and a competitor for a bikini competition. These major accomplishments in my life have transformed me, conformed me, and piece by piece become an enormous part of the growth and personal developed of who I am today. Let me highly emphasize not one of these endeavors would I not only believe I would do but exude so much passion for.
My experience throughout this journey with you has been amazing. I am so proud of myself. Those 5 minutes on stage were all worth the journey of our 16 weeks of training and pushing myself beyond what I even knew I was capable of. I love to be on stage. What I love most about being on stage is the challenge you have to capture the attention of so many people not only in the audience but your critics. Stage presence only comes within a person. My goal was to portray a positive representation to you UGG and set an example to existing and future clientele that are intrigued to do a journey as ambitious and competitive as this competition. I know you are so proud of me and I am so proud of myself. My body has truly transformed in ways I never knew existed. I have acquired a different outlook and appreciation for the human body and eye for true athleticism and image. What you see is most defiantly what you work for! And in my eyes that is more rewarding than anything. There is no shortcut worth any place going in my eyes. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I felt healthy, high energy, and confident in all of your judgments and meal plans you prepared for me. I cant thank you enough. Standing there on stage I never felt better about myself. I felt like the sun!
My goal for myself jumping into this journey was to further my education, experience the backstage arena of fitness competitors, challenge myself, and inspire someone just like myself to be fearless and do things you would never dream of doing. You couldn’t put a price on the feeling I received being on that stage. I will always stay true to who I am. My presence on stage will never be forgotten even if it means not winning because to me its not winning that is most important it is not being forgotten and more importantly not forgetting who you are. The process to me is the most fulfilling part to me aside from those moments you have on stage. Those moments are few and far too quick.
See you on stage :)
