LIVING LIFE WITH INTENTION<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/My-profile-pic-225x300.jpg?resize=158%2C210\" "\\"My")
<\/a>It\u2019s my life\u2019s journey towards becoming who I am today.\u00a0 Since it is rather long, I have broken it into chapters<\/strong>, so you can read it at your leisure. Each step along the way has had its own particular relevance to me today.<\/p>\nIt begins like this\u2026.<\/p>\n
\nI guess from some perspective, it could be considered odd. <\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\nI was lucky. I found my passion in 2002. At the time, I probably would have described it as merely needing to find an answer to a question that I couldn\u2019t seem to shake – WHY<\/span><\/strong>?<\/p>\nI found that the more I searched for an answer, the more questions I seemed to find. Then before I knew it, I had turned a chapter in my life and my previous career ambitions had come to an end. A new chapter had begun; one that would be the beginning of my story and would lead me to the life I choose to live today.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m beginning to see that my life is written very much like a book, but I\u2019m not the only author. Last month a scene was written into my life that concluded with a blank page, an empty slate and a question; it was my opportunity to create, with intention, the next steps my life would take.\u00a0 Now that my actions have chosen the path, I wait with anxious anticipation to see how my co-author will direct me through it.<\/p>\n
Before I show you how my chapter ended, I want to go back and share how my story had begun.<\/p>\n
A MEETING OF TWO STRANGERS<\/span><\/h3>\nLast month, I was sitting at a table in Union Square in San Francisco. It was a beautiful sunny day. I watched as people sprawled across the grass to eat or read a book. Despite the busy intersections and numerous construction projects underway, everything felt so still and peaceful. I remember thinking in that moment, how much I enjoyed living life<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\nAfter sitting there for about 5 minutes, I began talking to the lady at the table next to\u00a0me. She had recently rescued her puppy from an animal shelter and wanted to acclimate him to city noises, so they were\u00a0waiting in the square while her boyfriend was getting an eye exam. \u00a0She was killing time; I was enjoying my vacation time, so naturally\u2026we chatted.<\/p>\n
It started off like any other normal conversation. What\u2019s your name? Where do you live? What do you do?<\/em> I recited my answers thoughtlessly, like I had hundreds of times before. Then it happened. When I told her what I do for a living, she paused, and overtly examined me from head to toe. Then with a very puzzled look on her face, she uttered the same 3 letter word that started my journey 9 years ago. \u201cWhy<\/strong><\/span>?\u201d<\/p>\nPERSPECTIVE<\/span><\/h3>\nIt actually happens pretty frequently. People are curious to know why I have chosen to\u00a0dedicate my life to preventing diabetes. As I mentioned in the beginning, I suppose from some perspective, it could be considered odd.<\/em><\/strong> Why would a 30-something year old, petite woman be so passionate about preventing diabetes that she would start a diabetes prevention, non-profit organization. This is particularly perplexing to people when I reveal that I do not have diabetes, nor do my sibling or parents.<\/p>\nI think it\u2019s all a matter of perspective. Where some may say, \u201cwhy you<\/em>\u201d, my perspective has always been, \u201cWhy not me<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\nAlthough I\u2019ve answered the question, WHY<\/span><\/strong>, countless times, this time was different. \u00a0This time, the answer didn\u2019t feel like a simple exchange or conversation. It felt like a prelude into what would become a new chapter for me, a better story my life was about to live.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nPRELUDE TO A NEW STORY<\/span><\/h3>\nThe moment the words escaped from my lips, I knew I was only telling a portion of the story. The part people wanted to hear. The part I felt comfortable telling.<\/p>\n
The truth is that few things about preventing diabetes are comfortable or easy; but they are necessary.<\/p>\n
Prevention is a process, not a pill. It\u2019s about long-terms solutions, not band-aids. It\u2019s a choice to live life, not to have it taken from you.\u00a0 Prevention is not where you simply end up, it\u2019s something you arrive to and strive to.<\/p>\n
I have learned that the prevention process usually has 3 stages<\/strong>:<\/p>\n1st<\/sup>– The Beginning<\/span><\/strong>–\u00a0WHY it started, such as: genetics, environment, self-esteem, or abuse<\/p>\n2nd<\/sup>– The Catalyst<\/strong><\/span>– WHAT happened to propel them towards prevention<\/p>\n3rd<\/sup> The Motivation<\/span><\/strong>-WHO keeps them on the path to success<\/p>\nAs I sat there in Union Square, answering the question \u201cWHY<\/span><\/em>\u201d, it occurred to me for the first time that my answer was incomplete. All these years, my story began in the middle. It began with the catalyst. It wasn\u2019t the answer to the WHY<\/em><\/span><\/strong>, it was the WHAT<\/span><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\u00a0Click here to read the next section…<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/My-profile-pic.jpg\" "\\"My")
<\/a>It\u2019s my life\u2019s journey towards becoming who I am today.\u00a0 Since it is rather long, I have broken it into chapters<\/strong>, so you can read it at your leisure. Each step along the way has had its own particular relevance to me today.<\/p>\nIt begins like this\u2026.<\/p>\n
\nI guess from some perspective, it could be considered odd. <\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
I was lucky. I found my passion in 2002. At the time, I probably would have described it as merely needing to find an answer to a question that I couldn\u2019t seem to shake – WHY<\/span><\/strong>?<\/p>\n
I found that the more I searched for an answer, the more questions I seemed to find. Then before I knew it, I had turned a chapter in my life and my previous career ambitions had come to an end. A new chapter had begun; one that would be the beginning of my story and would lead me to the life I choose to live today.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m beginning to see that my life is written very much like a book, but I\u2019m not the only author. Last month a scene was written into my life that concluded with a blank page, an empty slate and a question; it was my opportunity to create, with intention, the next steps my life would take.\u00a0 Now that my actions have chosen the path, I wait with anxious anticipation to see how my co-author will direct me through it.<\/p>\n
Before I show you how my chapter ended, I want to go back and share how my story had begun.<\/p>\n
A MEETING OF TWO STRANGERS<\/span><\/h3>\n
Last month, I was sitting at a table in Union Square in San Francisco. It was a beautiful sunny day. I watched as people sprawled across the grass to eat or read a book. Despite the busy intersections and numerous construction projects underway, everything felt so still and peaceful. I remember thinking in that moment, how much I enjoyed living life<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n
After sitting there for about 5 minutes, I began talking to the lady at the table next to\u00a0me. She had recently rescued her puppy from an animal shelter and wanted to acclimate him to city noises, so they were\u00a0waiting in the square while her boyfriend was getting an eye exam. \u00a0She was killing time; I was enjoying my vacation time, so naturally\u2026we chatted.<\/p>\n
It started off like any other normal conversation. What\u2019s your name? Where do you live? What do you do?<\/em> I recited my answers thoughtlessly, like I had hundreds of times before. Then it happened. When I told her what I do for a living, she paused, and overtly examined me from head to toe. Then with a very puzzled look on her face, she uttered the same 3 letter word that started my journey 9 years ago. \u201cWhy<\/strong><\/span>?\u201d<\/p>\n
PERSPECTIVE<\/span><\/h3>\n
It actually happens pretty frequently. People are curious to know why I have chosen to\u00a0dedicate my life to preventing diabetes. As I mentioned in the beginning, I suppose from some perspective, it could be considered odd.<\/em><\/strong> Why would a 30-something year old, petite woman be so passionate about preventing diabetes that she would start a diabetes prevention, non-profit organization. This is particularly perplexing to people when I reveal that I do not have diabetes, nor do my sibling or parents.<\/p>\n
I think it\u2019s all a matter of perspective. Where some may say, \u201cwhy you<\/em>\u201d, my perspective has always been, \u201cWhy not me<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n
Although I\u2019ve answered the question, WHY<\/span><\/strong>, countless times, this time was different. \u00a0This time, the answer didn\u2019t feel like a simple exchange or conversation. It felt like a prelude into what would become a new chapter for me, a better story my life was about to live.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n
PRELUDE TO A NEW STORY<\/span><\/h3>\n
The moment the words escaped from my lips, I knew I was only telling a portion of the story. The part people wanted to hear. The part I felt comfortable telling.<\/p>\n
The truth is that few things about preventing diabetes are comfortable or easy; but they are necessary.<\/p>\n
Prevention is a process, not a pill. It\u2019s about long-terms solutions, not band-aids. It\u2019s a choice to live life, not to have it taken from you.\u00a0 Prevention is not where you simply end up, it\u2019s something you arrive to and strive to.<\/p>\n
I have learned that the prevention process usually has 3 stages<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
1st<\/sup>– The Beginning<\/span><\/strong>–\u00a0WHY it started, such as: genetics, environment, self-esteem, or abuse<\/p>\n
2nd<\/sup>– The Catalyst<\/strong><\/span>– WHAT happened to propel them towards prevention<\/p>\n
3rd<\/sup> The Motivation<\/span><\/strong>-WHO keeps them on the path to success<\/p>\n
As I sat there in Union Square, answering the question \u201cWHY<\/span><\/em>\u201d, it occurred to me for the first time that my answer was incomplete. All these years, my story began in the middle. It began with the catalyst. It wasn\u2019t the answer to the WHY<\/em><\/span><\/strong>, it was the WHAT<\/span><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Click here to read the next section…<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n