Thirty days ago, I hated who I was and what I had become.

These words may seem a bit dramatic, but truth be told, I was feeling very self-conscious about my weight and my overall health. My recent cardiac scare has given me somewhat of a heavy aftermath. My weight was spiraling out of control and I had lost control of the wheel.

It took everything I had to realize that a change had to happen or else I'd end up with even worse health complications. Never in my life was I ever over 300 pounds and 30 days ago, I weighed in at 306 – a number I wish I had never seen staring back at me from the scale.

There comes a time in everyone's life when trying my best just isn't enough and this was certainly one of those times.

I was miserable from not fitting into any of my clothes and depressed because I couldn't muster up the energy to work out or do anything physical. Hell, walking upstairs was a project in itself. I knew I had to do something, but the question was, how?

Leaving my comfort zone was tough. When you're used to going "pedal to the metal" in everything and anything that you do, taking it easy can be somewhat shameful, even though it was completely normal to do. Basically, I had to leave my "macho" at home and work with baby steps to get back to a healthy me.

Day by day, I found the time and energy to work out, both lifting and cardio. It wasn't much at the start, but it was something. It was not only reassurance, it was hope. I'm nowhere near who I used to be, but I'll be damned if not already on my way.

My eyes have opened wide to the reality of mental health and how important it is to every single individual on the face of this Earth. Realizing that it's more than ok to put yourself first was a huge step for me and hopefully for anyone else out there who is reading this.

I'm just a regular guy, there's nothing different about me. If you think for a second that putting a microphone in front of my face made my life perfect, guess again. Once more, I'm no different than anyone else in this world. I work hard for my money and I wear my heart on my sleeve. My downfall is putting others first before myself, but it's what makes me happy.

Today I reached my first goal: 30 days of healthy living and working out to the best of my ability. My only hope is that if you too are going through the struggle that you dig real deep. Dig as deep as you can and find that tiny bit of motivation and use it to your advantage, Your fight is far from being finished and so is mine.

Remember, it's OK to not be OK, words I will forever live by – and because of that, I'm able to get over the speed bumps that life delivers in ways that are somewhat miraculous at times. I believed that I could keep marching forward, no matter how heavy the burden, and because of that perseverance, I was able to overcome my own failures.

One day at a time, those are my words for you. Take them with a grain of salt, but always remember that your worth is more than you'll ever fathom. If you, too, are going through the roughest of patches, know that hard work always pays off, you just have to want it bad enough to reach it.

One day at a time, my friends.

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