Thursday, May 19, 2016

May 19th, 2016 Unexpected Treat

May 19th, 2016 Unexpected Treat

I enjoyed an unexpected treat today when News-Talk WPG-Atlantic City called to invite me on Middays With Michelle Dawn Mooney. It was a wonderful experience. We had an extended thirty minute-plus live on-air visit about this blog, my book, relapse/regain and present day stuff. Thank you, Michelle! It was an honor, for sure!

It's Throwback Thursday on the DDWL!
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Top: One of my heaviest "before" pictures. Middle: At a friend's wedding several years ago. Bottom: Last month at the Today Show. #TBT

Talking with Michelle today, really reminded me of how important this blog has been and continues to be for me. I found an excerpt in the archives that best describes how and why it's important to me.

From February 2014:
This blog started as a tool for me, for my benefit. I started it to keep me focused and true to myself with the added accountability factor of a publicly shared journal. This blog was a way for me to dissect, analyze and unravel the inner mysteries keeping me over 500 pounds for so many years. Very few people followed along, reading each post, before AOL ran a feature story on their home page. Then things started changing.

I started connecting with more and more people and I started realizing how this wasn't just helping me, it was helping others. Did I get caught up in the commotion of it all? Perhaps. But nothing brings me back home to the most raw, emotional place--like reading someone else's story of liberation.

I write this blog for me. It must be for me, first and foremost. If it wasn't, then I would have continued a song and dance during the darkest periods of regain. Instead, I retreated from what was best for me in many different ways. Some say it would have been helpful to read the "off the rails" version of things...And I get that, but again--where I was wasn't a place inspiring me to write anything helpful to me or anyone else, really. Coming back and sharing about where I've been and where I want to go, is as good as I can do.

Occasionally, I might write a piece as if I were in the middle of the fall--kind of a time traveling concept...might be fun and therapeutic for me.  But maybe not. I mean really, could be kind of scary. 

I also don't do this for money. Yes, I would very much enjoy doing what I do for a living and there isn't anything wrong with that at all. But to this point, the relatively small financial reward hasn't been a big component of what I do.

The last sentence of my Day 1 entry still holds true, "I believe it will help me stay on track and maybe along the way it will inspire someone else to stay on track."  Pretty simple.

That's what it's all about. I don't do what I do for attention, for love, to feel important or any other slightly bent off-center motivation. I do it for me, to help me and when what I do in helping myself affects someone else in a positive way, it's the most wonderful bonus of all.

I am loved. I am important. And those facts were true long before The Daily Diary of A Winning Loser or Transformation Road came along.

There's still plenty of road ahead. And I'm honored you're choosing to ride along. Thank you.

Today's Live-Tweet Stream:














































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownMay 20, 2016 at 2:12 AM

    I just wanted to comment on Oikos Triple Zero yogurt. I find this stuff being awesome stuff and OK for me even though it has Stevia. If you find it taste sweeter than you prefer you may want to experiment with adding plain unflavored greek yogurt with same amount of triple zero you use so it half and half. Or find the right balance for you. 1/2 & 1/2 is what I need to do and and creates exceptional balance of being sweet enough but not too sweet. You will notice plain unflavored has less calories than triple zero so you get good value in return. With any kind of whole fresh berries its my favorite go to dessert, better than I ever remember ice cream used to taste.

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  2. dupsterMay 20, 2016 at 10:27 AM

    I have read your blog for a long time Sean, maybe not from the very beginning, but it's been a while! I think it's wonderful how the blog serves a dual purpose--It helps you and it helps us, the people like me and you who struggle with their weight every day of their lives. I don't know if you know Tony Posnanski or not, he blogs quite often on Huffington Post's site and is a constant Facebook poster. He said something yesterday that stuck with me, about how everyday of his life (before) was consumed with trying to be better and hating himself because he knew he would fail. Of course that leads to very low self esteem. I lived like that for 30 years, and actually hated myself. It's a terrible thing to hate yourself. I'm glad you have realized that you are lovable, no matter what size. We all are. But it sure is easier to love ourselves when we are at least doing something about our food addiction. As you mentioned, you have a long way to go on this road. We all do--The rest of our lives! I myself blog on Spark People's site, and found during my periods of regain (I've had two....so far), I just stayed away from Spark and from blogging. Since I seem to have gotten back on track in the last month, I am there almost every day pouring my heart out, not as eloquently as you perhaps, but I find it helps me to verbalize my feelings about weight loss, really about everything. Keep doing what you're doing Sean. I know it helps you and it helps all of us too!

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