"Pretty, Lies": An Introduction (and Excerpt) to My Book

Disclaimer: Grab a cup of coffee or cocktail before you read this. You may need it. 

We all have dreams. We all have goals. We all have feelings and intuitions in regards to our life's purpose. Have you ever felt like you were meant to do something? That is how I feel when it comes to writing. 

I am not ridiculously talented at anything in life that would cause me to immensely standout amongst any crowd. I do not have an IQ that is so exceptional, it enabled me to receive scholarships to a top ivy league school. I do not come from background or family that has a prodigious amount of money. When I think about it, I am just an ordinary girl who has extraordinary dreams. 

I may not have any outstanding qualities or circumstances that could instantly catapult me  to success the way I want it, but I do have a strong mind that is constantly willing to learn, an understanding of hard work and what is required of me, and a heart that though it has been broken and bruised, never gives up. Those qualities are enough to provide me hope; which in my opinion, is the foundation if you want to accomplish anything.

I have dreams of growing Fitness Blondie to be the number 1 destination for all things health, fitness, and weight loss. More so, I want my blog to always be a place where you find hope and inspiration. Health is something so many of us struggle with for our entire lives; and I do not just mean in weight loss. Mental health... emotional health. Self-esteem. All of those issues are related. I want this website to be a resource where you can find ideas, have a laugh, get that bit of motivation to say "OK, I will go to the gym", connect with other people-- make new friends, and know that there is someone out there who genuinely enjoys seeing people happy and will do everything possible to help. Also, I still want to chronicle random and fun things about my everyday life. After all, I call this place my online scrapbook. I read my old posts often and cherish even the most mundane of memories. 

Fitness Blondie will be the launching pad. Additionally, I want to write books. I have so many stories and ideas that I want to tell. If everything comes together full circle and I do become successful, the last thing I want to do is travel and give motivational speeches. I have an entrepreneurial spirit and all three of my big goals are directly related. 

So there are my hopes and dreams. Of course there are a plethora of details on how I plan to execute these visions, but at least that provides an overview so I hopefully make sense in my actions and words. 

I think I am doing OK thus far with my blog. I have been writing for 14 months with a couple of small breaks due to unfortunate circumstances. I try to do a good mix of posts, be consistent, and always authentic. However, you can't force someone to like you, so I do what I can, and the rest is up to fate. I am still in the middle of my weight loss journey with 25 more pounds to lose, which I am continuing by clean eating and following my exercise regimen. In the meantime, I work a full-time job that enables me to have a roof over my head and food on my table.

With all of that being listed and said, in March I started planning my first book called Fearless. It is to be a memoir in depth about my life with recipes not shown on the blog, specific details on different workout plans I have created throughout the years, etc. I was well into writing, but then I realized I am not ready. I am not as fearless as I want to be yet. I am still developing. Nor do I feel like my story in life has been written enough for me to share. So I put it on hold. To be frank, I do not feel worthy to write Fearless just yet. Keyword: yet. I go back to the drawing board to think about what I am going to do next. Finally, last month, I knew the book I needed to write. 

So that is where I am right now. This is the "sneak peak" and the announcement. It feels deeply intimate to be sharing this; I feel as if I am standing naked in front of crowd. I know some are going to think my book synopsis is stupid and that I will never be published or make it, and that is alright. It is to be expected when you open yourself up to the world. 

As far as the logistics on my book, I do not really have any... yet. I have a good friend who is lawyer that is going to help, and I am in speaking with a person who has a career in the industry. I am receiving a bit of guidance and I am learning. 

I hope to finish the book by the end of September. I am not one to say I am going to do something and then not do it. I may not finish it by the deadline, and if I don't, it will certainly be by October. I work well under pressure, but I do not want to burn out. I still have a full-time job, this blog, 25 pounds to lose, and an apartment and cat to take of. Ha. But I am working hard. Because right now, it is do or die. I'm making sacrifices. I do not know what I will do about publishing. There are a lot of different avenues and possibilities, thus I will carefully access all choices that could be available for me. 

I'm scared. Honestly, I am so damn scared. There are so many celebrities who "write" books and people who are "better" than me who write; so why would anyone want to publish or read what I have to say? What if they laugh at me for thinking I could possibly make this dream a reality? What if people think I am delusional for thinking a dream like this could be plausible? Thoughts like that are coursing through my mind every step of the way. However this time, that's not going to stop me. This time, I'm going to be fearless and try. 

Over the next couple of months, I want to periodically share excerpts and updates on the book and how the process is progressing. I may share a specific senario, quote, or paragraph; it will vary. I just want to keep it interesting, get the word out, try to spread it, and receive any feedback or comments anyone may have.

Here goes nothing.