To write your story . . . it has to be yours.

I stumbled across this image after entering the words copy of a copy into the Google Images search bar. Although not quite what I'd envisioned, it works. Above her ties to John F. Kennedy, and acting as a muse for an Elton John song, Mrs. Monroe was a sex symbol.

So, my question is:
What do we (you and I) do with any symbol of sexiness . . . classic or modern?

• Do we perpetuate the idolatry and put her on a pedestal and us in the dirt?
• Do we try to replicate it in fashion, deprivation, enhancements?
• Do we celebrate the beauty as parts of humanity and try to emulate it?

Whatever our answer, it is human to try to repeat, recreate, reformulate . . . to make a copy and then another copy. Yet, although our attempts are intended to bring us closer to the source, they often do just the opposite. Instead of vibrancy and color and life, our efforts to recreate what has already been, bring us an experience that's blurred and watered down.

What does this have to do with this world? 

Let's take the Super Bowl. Think of all the upsets  . . . where the underdog has the edge because they're not self-assured . . . and the favored team is stuck trying to recreate winning moves based on an outdated copy of the play book. In the end, what brought the "W" was that one team was willing to forget what once was, take risks, and instead listen to what works today.

Or, how about that box office hit that comes back for a sequel. More times than not they're not as good as the original . . . usually because the producers fixate on the draw of "action" or "cinematography", instead of shooting for balance. As for the sequels that do succeed . . . it's usually because they remain committed to the story line and avoid getting caught in the gimmick trap.

In the case of fitness, we see a lot of before and after photos. Impressive and convincing. Yet . . . the problem occurs when we mistake what we see for the effort that produced the results. Or, rather we get so caught up in the results, we forget about the process.

The results are the effect . . . not the cause.

To get the results we want, we must be willing to throw away the copy of the sex symbol we're carrying around in our head. To copy someone else's results is to deny yourself the experience of why we do it at all . . . to become more fully ourselves.

Marilyn Monroe is memorable because she was fully herself. She was full of life, lust, vibrancy, and boldness. Sure she had a fabulous body . . . but so did a lot of other women.

If there's someone out there you want to be more like . . . don't look at the obvious outside traits. What attracts you to them is more likely something else.

With an exercise and eating regimen, the results will come . . . but more importantly, so will your drive, motivation, and lust for life. THAT is what you really signed up for. 

We exercise. We succeed. We eat well. We improve. We get sexier. We turn heads. We get stronger. We hold our own. We become more fully ourselves. We win.

Don't cheat yourself by trying to be someone else. Don't give up your victory for an easy win.

Don't become a fuzzy facsimile. 

Instead, fight for the life you want to lead . . . and make it crisp and full of color.

- Coach Rebecca