A few weeks ago, my friend Kelly Boylan invited me to be a part of an amazing project called “I’ve Got Your Back.” To say I was thrilled is an understatement. Kelly is incredibly talented and I had already binge read all of her IGYB interviews before she asked me to be a part of it. In Kelly’s words, “I’ve Got Your Back” is “inspired by my own journey with self-acceptance. It’s inspired by my feminist beliefs and a desire to build sisterhood and community. It’s inspired by the beautiful women in my life. Each woman photographed is an inspiration in her own way.”

Part of this project entailed posing shirtless. Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly, if you know me), this part didn’t make me nervous at all. What made me nervous was the fact that Kelly considered me worthy of interviewing. I’m not getting down on myself – I do think I’m pretty neat – but I wasn’t sure if I would have anything wise to say that could even compare to the interviews she’d done prior. To make matters worse, she was going to record the whole thing for her podcast, so there would be record of whatever came out of my mouth (Lord help us all).

During the interview, we talked about my passion for health and fitness, and she asked how I see being involved in those fields moving forward. I didn’t have a concrete answer, but I told her I saw myself as a “cheerleader” – someone who would encourage others to find healthy lifestyles, whatever that means for them. I want to keep singing the praises of creating a healthy life (both physically and mentally), and invite anyone & everyone to join in. Later, I thought about my answer. Was it a cop out? After all, I could always go to school to become a personal trainer or a dietician, or anyone who could make a tangible, measurable difference. But I don’t want to do that, so why should I?

I remembered this quote from Roald Dahl, and I realized it encompassed exactly what I was trying to say.

“I began to realize how important it is to be an enthusiast in life. If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it, and above all, become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good.” –Roald Dahl

My goal in this world is to be an “enthusiast in life,” and to have that rub off on the people around me. There is enough cynicism and criticism in the world, so being a cheerleader & encourager IS a worthy and important role. It’s not just about health & fitness, but about everything. It’s easy to be lukewarm about stuff, but it isn’t as satisfying. It also doesn’t take the courage it takes to go “full speed ahead.”

Think about it: it’s easier to pretend you don’t care about a relationship, or settle for a relationship, than to put your full heart into it with the risk of it being broken. It’s not as scary to set wishy-washy goals instead of shooting for something big that you really want. It’s simpler to take a job you like instead of aiming to create a work lifestyle you love.

I feel like there’s a trend nowadays to not give a sh*t about anything. If you do, you’re obnoxious and you try too hard. I’d like to go on record that I think everyone should give a million sh*ts about the things they love, and they should yell it out to the world. I wish everyone would get REALLY excited about the things they are passionate about, and talk about it to everyone who will listen. I might not be changing the world, but if I can be a cheerleader for living life enthusiastically, I’ll take it.

“Ask yourself what is really important, and then have the wisdom and courage to build your life around your answer.”

Listen to my interview on Kelly’s podcast HERE!

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