Today, I'm 23

Today, I’m 23. I’m usually not one for reminiscing on time passed since last birthdays, but I'm gonna make an exception.

A year ago tomorrow, I received my last graduate school rejection letter, this one from UCLA. I wasn’t surprised since I didn’t even get into what I thought was my safety school, but was understandably disappointed. Four months, one appeal and countless persistent phone calls later, I found out I was granted admission to UCLA while on board a yacht off the Galapagos Islands.

In the past year, I graduated college, had my heart broken, got into grad school, traveled to South America, left the best job I’ve ever had and moved to Los Angeles.

Damn.

In the past year, I've stood at the metaphorical fork in the road, anxiously waiting for a reason to choose one path over the other. Soon after my excitement of being admitted to UCLA passed, a feeling of trepidation came over me. As exciting as this new chapter was going to be, I found myself caught between resisting change and embracing it. Leaving the home and work and friends and LIFE I knew to venture into this unknown new life was daunting, but ultimately necessary.

In the past year, I've learned a lot about myself, the kind of person I am and the kind of person I want to be. I've realized that it takes losing something you desperately wanted to discover how far you’re willing to push yourself to get it. I've realized that lying to yourself about how you feel about someone isn't fair to either one of you. I've also realized that it’s damn near to impossible to have a social life when you’re in grad school.

So today, I’m 23, and looking forward to everything this next year has to offer.

What If?

It seems like a lot of people I know have been asking an unusual amount of "what if" questions lately.

Which got me to thinking.

The way I see it, there are two types of "what if" questions: the kind that spark our curiosity and lead us to discover things we never thought possible. The kind of "what if" questions that Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs asked. The kind that make us think outside the box.

And then there's the other kind.

The kind that cause us to doubt our decisions and self-sabotage. Unfortunately, this is the type of "what if" question I've been hearing a lot these days.

"What if my relationship doesn't last?"
"What if I don't get into my top choice?"
"What if I can't do it?"

I'd be lying if I said I've never hesitated before making a decision, much less an important one. I mean, that's normal. I might even go so far as to say it's RECOMMENDED. The problem arises when we let our uncertainty overpower us because of our fear of failure. After all, if you never jump you'll never fall, right?

But what's the fun in that?

The worst that could happen is, yeah, turns out you weren't meant to be with someone, or you don't get into the school of your choice or you don't succeed. Sometimes things don't happen the way we want them to. But, on the bright side, you can say you TRIED. You put yourself out on a limb, knowing full well that it might break, and that's something to be proud of. Congrats to you! And hopefully even if it does break, it won't stop you from trying again. And again. And again.

Journey once told me "don't stop believing." I think they might have been on to something.

The Test of Willpower

Last week, while browsing Netflix for something informative to watch, I came upon a documentary called Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. In a nutshell, it illustrates the health benefits of juicing through the journey of an over-weight man who has decided to do a 60-day juice fast to kick-start his new healthy life.

After watching this film, I was inspired to see what a juice regimen could do for me. Now, I definitely wasn't going to drink only fruit and vegetable juice for SIXTY days, but I decided I'd try it out for 5. So I bought a inexpensive juicer, made a trip to Trader Joe's for some fruits and veggies, and began my fast on Monday.

ALL of this goes into ONE 8oz cup of juice

Although the machine is a bit of a pain to clean, it is actually fun preparing the fruits and slicing the vegetables and ultimately feeding them through the chute. Also, I LOVE the color of the juice and pulp, so bright and vibrant!

The first day was great, I felt healthy, refreshed and motivated that I could easily keep going through Friday.

Heh.

Yesterday was the hardest day. You start to miss salty, crunchy, chewy foods and the temptation to cheat is almost irresistible - especially when your coworker (who sits directly across from you) brings in a giant box of danishes and pastries. Ahhhh. But, I have willpower. Woo!

Today, the same coworker brought pastries again, along with a variety of muffins and donuts. YUM. My my is salivating as I type. The only thing keeping me from leaping up and sinking my teeth into the flaky frosted goodness of "vacation" breakfast is my colorful glass of juice....One more day....

I must say, I've enjoyed the energy I've gotten through doing this (although you're sluggish and tired for the 2nd and 3rd days) and I would definitely consider doing it again. It's a great test of willpower. If you're up for it, I challenge you to give it a try - 5 days, just juice.....GO!

For more information on juicing and the documentary, visit http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/