Body positivity is something of a grey area that as a male find it difficult to talk about. One reason is that it's such a big topic and very controversial. I struggle with how I am able to present myself. There were times in high school I had friends and a teacher yelled at me to go get lunch. Every time I would go, but I had to be forced. I was skinny and had a huge fear of gaining weight. Then I started going to the gym after it had recently opened up in town and met people who changed my life. I had never been to a gym before, and I had no clue how to use any of the equipment or that I needed food to progress in this very long journey of building muscle and getting into shape. I was going to the gym and learning how to eat to be able to achieve my goal of getting the body that we see everywhere. Facebook, Instagram, movies, magazines and much more. But I wasn't seeing the results. I was doing what I needed to do and not seeing results and it's discouraging, and even after a year and a half or so, and I have still not been able to meet my end goal. That's okay. Do I still feel like I'm scrawny some days? Yes. Do I see a little bit of extra fat I am putting on because it is part of the process? Yes. We have to learn to give and take a little bit. We want everything to happen overnight, and not put in the effort to get there. I have struggled with wanting a certain body, and with seeing myself as too scrawny, but not wanting to gain weight. I have had to start realizing that in order to get the body that I want I have to give up on seeing abs for the time being. In addition to going to the gym, I started to do even more physical activities. I started gymnastics and MMA. So if you get burned out of going to the gym, try something different.

There are many give and takes in life. Sacrifices we must make to achieve our goals. We have to remember that we don't achieve these goals on our own. There have been people along the way encouraging you that you can achieve your goals, that have even contributed in achieving your goal. I wouldn't be where I am today without the people who sacrificed their time to help me. So think about who has helped you along the way to get where you are right now. Think about how you can help someone else get to their destination. Just as you once needed help.

I've gotten asked why I started writing these articles, and guiding others have been a big reason. I've succeeded. I've failed. I've fallen, but I got back up. I allowed others to come into my life and help me put myself on the path to what I want to achieve. Even when I didn't want help. I started writing because I wanted to make a difference in someone's life. We all go through trying times in our lives, and some events are harder than others, but that doesn't mean that our heartbreaks are more than or less than someone else's.