I turn 40 this year. This milestone has got me reflecting on how I truly feel about the man I have become. I realize that after 40 years, I finally truly love and respect the man in the mirror. I finally feel unshakeable confidence in myself. I’ve finally stopped caring what other people think of me. I finally follow through on the promises I make to myself. I finally do the things that I’ve always told myself I wanted to do, but never had the confidence to follow through on. It has been quite the journey and I take it one day at a time.

Take this 6 month transformation. It took a lot of hard work, discipline, dedication and consistency to reach this point. I am far from perfect and I live a very chaotic life. My amazing wife and I drink wine together, eat out at restaurants and enjoy life. We are both shift workers and we have four kids. I could easily come up with excuses. I don’t have time to workout. I don’t have time to eat healthy. But I do it. I find the time. I make the time. Every little action and every day counts. I wake up every day with one goal in mind. Win the day. I win the day by keeping the promises I made to myself. I win the day by showing up, even when I don’t want to. I win the day by being the best version of myself, the best Dad I can be, the best husband I can be.

There are many people out there that are fitter, stronger, taller, smarter, leaner and more jacked than I am. I am okay with that. I’ve finally stopped comparing myself to others. I am focusing on becoming the best version of myself. By doing so, I show up so much better for the people that I love and care about.

You don’t have to be where I’m at. Stop comparing. You just need to wake up every day and follow through on the promises you make to yourself. To do things that make you just a little bit better than you were yesterday.

You may be perfectly happy with yourself just the way you are. That is perfectly fine. Just be honest with yourself.

The way I look and the results I’ve achieved are not the reason why I am finally happy with myself. It’s the opposite. The way I look today is a direct result of finally truly loving myself.