By Corey McMickle

Let’s be honest with ourselves, change is difficult. Changing jobs, changing your carpet, even changing your oil are all difficult enough to where we can validate paying someone else to do all these things for us.

I recently took on the task of updating my guest bathroom. Along with my father in-law, we decided we could do it ourselves.

Tearing out the old vanity top, putting a new one on and slapping some paint on that possibly matched the new centerpiece of that particular room. No sweat, we thought, a weekend’s worth of work probably. Wrong! Close to a month later, we wished we would have just hired someone for the job as we finished putting the second coat of color on.

But you know what, I changed it up. I made the real decision to actually do the hard work myself. I accepted the challenge and change. Why, you may ask, “You even said you wish you would have had someone do it for you at the end!” Sure, it was frustrating, but nothing makes me prouder than walking in there and being able to see what my own two hands (alongside my father in-law’s) were able to accomplish.

That’s what comes out of change, accomplishments. Sure, there can be the chance for a mild negative outcome, but that shouldn’t hold us static and stagnant.

For instance, no one told you there was a job just waiting for you when you took that huge student loan and set aside a few years of your life to attend a university. You just did it because you knew eventually you’d accomplish something that would better you in the long run.

I wouldn’t tell you to do something I wouldn’t do myself. I decided back in January I wanted to change something; accomplish something this year. I want to become a writer. I started looking into how to begin this quest and what all it took to achieve this dream. Needed to write; go figure, and build up a portfolio. So building upon myself as a personal trainer I sit here now with something I couldn’t be prouder to have, my very own column, all because I wasn’t afraid of changing every other weekend and dedicating time to composing something for you all to enjoy.

So what’s the purpose of all this? You’re happy where you’re at, you say. OK, but is your husband? Are your children? What about your parents? Change is viable to everything and everyone. Change your workout routine, I promise you may enjoy it even more. Change the day you visit your parent’s house, I’m certain they’d appreciate the surprise. Change going and eating with your colleagues with going and eating at the school with your kids, I promise they won’t forget it.

As a personal trainer, I’m supposed to have this extensive knowledge of working out and safely being able to transform someone else’s physique. What people don’t understand is personal trainers are also motivators.

As a trainer, I can’t ask you to perform a high intensity routine without somehow keeping you motivated. We do this by changing up your diet and routines and keeping things fresh.

This same way of thinking is vital for our lives as well. I’ve fallen in love with writing. I’m working on a blog as we speak, as well as started a couple short stories and even one novel. This change has consumed me. But, I wouldn’t have ever discovered this new found love if I continued to fear a little change.

Change it up, Port City.