Remodeling and Reinventing the Way You are Living

First, let me tell you this. I have gained weight. It is an achievement in the eyes of my mother who tried to make me gain weight for years but was not successful; I do not know why all those fatty foods failed to make me fat. My mother believes that everyone is beautiful. For me, it depends. If you are a nice person, no matter how you look, I like you.

My focus today is on reinventing ourselves. If you think that you do not have to change anything about yourself, congratulations! If you have a constant thought lingering in your head that you should be doing more and changing the way of your lifestyle, like most people probably do, you have to revive yourself. You have to shed that part which does not feel authentically you!

Let’s call it “Spring Cleaning”. I have heard from my editor Abigail (for me, she is Abby) that you get rid of all the things in your home you don’t need anymore, donate old clothes, and clean the home from top to bottom in Spring. If we can do it to redecorate our home, why can we not do it to remodel our life? I am sure that we can do it. I am thinking about losing weight because this new me does not look like me, or at least, how I imagine myself. My clothes do not fit anymore.

Clothes are different for me as I wear traditional Asian clothes which are not readily available in Fargo. Most of the time, just after working for a few hours or climbing a few stairs, I start panting. Moreover, I got kind of addicted to junk food which is causing this extra weight gain. Therefore, reshaping my routine and physique is something I am looking forward to during summer.

With this reinvention comes questions about your identity. Ask yourself the questions that need to be asked about your aim, career, and most importantly the person you want to be. Figuring these things out is necessary. Once you figure these things out, it is easier to reinvent yourself. Having a steadfast goal ahead makes you go the extra mile to earn that. If you are still doing the calculations, that is okay too. Even when you are doing that, you are reinventing yourself.

I have students who are athletes, with great physiques and grades. Every time I meet them, I aspire to have a great body like theirs. I would love to have their motivation, dedication, and perseverance. The good news is that I am working on my failings and fighting with myself every day to be a better version of yesterday. The other day, I was scrolling through my Facebook and saw an article on body shaming. It is sad though when people look down on you if you are not conforming to the beauty standards.

It is not okay if you do not feel great about yourself. You are beautiful, attractive, and confident, and please, feel that. Want to gain weight? Gain some. Want to shed some? Yes, go ahead and shed some. I want to lose weight and, for that, I have given myself a deadline to shed at least 10 kgs by the end of this summer. For me, it will be looking like my old self where I felt better. To do that, I will have to hit the gym at the Wellness Centre and be consistent.

Apart from my physique, the next constant worry is my mental health. Hurdles that make our life difficult at each step are also bogging our minds down. Like me, if you think that something is bothering you and tearing you apart, then my concern is about your mental health. Living in a foreign country has forced me to look for happiness in every corner of this city, Fargo.

As a practicing Muslim, I pray, ask Allah (the only God I believe in) to show me the right path, and hold onto the right things I have faith in. In the case of belief, if you subscribe to something else, I understand. But you can follow the other things that I do. Read something that spreads positivity, listen to motivational lectures, do something for others daily, and have the hopes deep inside that things are going to be better. Do not let your past disturb your present. Let all the ill feelings and tensions go. There is light!

Decluttering your past thoughts and habits is necessary to get a new you again. In my country, we have a saying that says “people become the slaves of their habits”. I think this saying is applicable everywhere. Once you get used to a certain routine, you get trapped.

It becomes a gigantic task to break those traps and save yourself. My constant fight with myself is to push myself to wake up early in the morning. I am trying because then I get energy, time, and a nice vibe to get my work done. Similarly, you can identify what is pulling you from being where you want to be. Set a schedule and give efforts to follow that no matter what.

My effort is to let you know that reinvention is possible, be it physical, or mental. If you do not want that or are fighting with issues, I want you to feel confident with whatever body shape you have. Once you feel empowered, everything else lines up. Empower yourself! If it is your mental health that is declining, take the initiatives to protect that part of you. Make sure that this “Spring Cleaning” brings the best out of you. What if you fail? No worries! We have our very own Fargo summer coming ahead. We will get the best out of it.