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I am one happy girl. I'm not sure if it's because my endorphins are bouncing off the wall after my steamy run or if it's because I'm that happy with where I'm at in life.

I can't help but feel that the only reason to explain this happiness is because I've put myself first, loved myself for who I am, and in turn have been surrounded by the things that make me happy.

This road to happiness hasn't been easy. I had to follow my heart based on what felt right or more often what didn't feel right. I left my first job out of college for one that brings true satisfaction and enjoyment. I've put myself first by feeding my body the right way and in turn letting it run it's little heart out because after all we are "Born to Run" as McDougall says.

One of the greatest relationships outside of family, boyfriend and friends is the one I have with myself. I get to have this relationship every day because I make the time for me. Every time I run, I'm having a conversation with myself in my head whether it's about the day, life or how I just need to grunt out what I think is misery. But in the end, I'm always so happy. I may not have had the best run, but afterward, I seem to forget that I had "lead legs" and am just so happy I did something I didn't think I could finish at the time.

One of my favorite motivators during a run is to look down at my running shoes (usually during a tough hill) and see my feet moving, which somehow inspires me to keep going. I love looking at my used to be hot pink shoe laces...now bright teal blue...and thinking..."I got this." I love feeling like I can't take one more step...one more quarter mile...and then finishing...and feeling like you're on top of the world.

Running in itself is an amazing relationship. Who else would I wake up for on a consistent basis at 5am for? Who else would I sweat and groan for during 90 degree weather?

I once read about one woman's tip for always getting her exercise in, which is to treat it like a date. If she makes plans with her treadmill that evening and then somebody wants to get dinner, she'd say well first I have to run and then maybe after. She said, "I wouldn't cancel a date with a friend, so why should I cancel a date with my treadmill?"

I've really taken this to heart because this has helped me form a strong, consistent relationship with running. If I plan to run 3 miles that day, than someone is going to have to wait 30 minutes.

Overall, me and my new Brooks are one happy couple right now :) In the spirit of loving myself, here's some quotes from my favorite book, "When I Loved Myself Enough."

"When I loved myself enough, I quit settling for too little."

"When I loved myself enough, I came to know my own goodness."

"When I loved myself enough, I redefined success, and life became simple. Oh, the pleasure in that."

"When I loved myself enough, I learned to meet my own needs and not call it selfish."

How do you put yourself first? What makes you feel on top of the world with life?

Smile of the day: My sister has started her own blog and it's already AWESOME!!!!! She's vegan so I'm excited to see what interesting/exciting recipes she shares plus she loves exercise and is super interesting! Check her out... http://juliatotaste.blogspot.com/
Posted by Callie at 8:05 PM