An Open Letter To The Person Who Wants To Change Their Lifestyle And Diet

Dear [Insert Name Here], 

     I am writing you this letter to let you know that changing your lifestyle and diet is scary. I know because I have been there. Change in general is frightening. The fear of the unknown will keep you stuck in a situation just for the sake of comfort. Your comfort zone is safe, but change can’t blossom from there. I am here to tell you that once you put on a brave face, get out of your comfort zone, and fight that inner self-doubt, I KNOW that you will succeed. Just imagine how great you will feel to know that you took a chance on changing your lifestyle and seeing positive changes in your life.

     You may be thinking, what will my family and friends think?, how am I going to make this work?, what if I fail and not stick through it? Trust me you will have page loads of reasons not to take a chance on something new. Just know that those are just thoughts and they will always be there. They are meant to keep you in a spot of comfort and fear to inevitably hold you back. Find a way to fight those disempowering thoughts and all of those negative doubts. You are so much stronger than you think and you have the power to fight those thoughts! Whether you are looking to change your diet to an organic, vegetarian, vegan, keto, paleo, or gluten-free one, just know that YOU CAN DO IT! I have faith in you that you can find a way to make it work, no matter the external or internal noises! It is time to reclaim your power! 

     I just want you to know that I have been in your shoes many times throughout my almost 11-year organic journey. There have been numerous occasions where I have had to think outside the box and move mountains to make my lifestyle work. During the past 11 years, while I was in college, traveling, going out to eat, holiday parties, family gatherings, hanging out with friends, dating, living with roommates/family, I have had to learn how to make this lifestyle work for me. It was a huge challenge. But when you are dedicated enough, you find any reason to make it work for you! You only see the possibilities and not the limitations.

     I have learned how to use my voice and speak up about the lifestyle I live to those around me. I made it apart of me. Instead of just “oh Sara eats organic”, it became “Sara is organic.” Once you decide on which lifestyle you want to start living, make it apart of you. I promise you that people will respect you for it even if they don’t agree with it or live it themselves. And if they don’t, that is on them and not you.  

    At the beginning, many people said such negative, mean, and hurtful comments to me about my organic lifestyle. Granted, organic was not as well known back then as it is now. No matter what, I never let that get me down or stop me from what I was doing. What they said did sometimes hurt, but it was more so annoying and unnecessary. You will run into that too. But don’t let that ever stop you from continuing to live the lifestyle that you choose.

     The reason for all of the outside commentary from family, friends, and people I met was because I was going against their version of the norm. Also, when you decided to make a change in your life, it scares the people around you. Even though they love you and want the best for you, they are afraid that you’ll change. They want you to stay the same version that they have of you in their minds. They are afraid that if you do something new it will change who you are and they will lose the person that they created in their head of who you are. What they don’t know is that they will be gaining a new badass empowered version of yourself in exchange.

     Remember, your lifestyle and diet is such a personal choice and decision. You have to do what is best for you and don’t let anyone deter you from your goals! Your health truly depends on it. Many of you think that you can’t change your eating habits because the other people in your household aren’t on board. For example, if you want to go vegan but your significant other is a meat eater, you might think that they won’t accept that. But I am here to tell you that you CAN make it work!!! It will just take some creativity. And sure, things will change, but they will change for the positive. Who knows, maybe when your friends and family see the changes in you, it will spark a change in them too.

     Also, when you start a new lifestyle and diet, it is inevitable that you are going to make mistakes. You are going to want to quit. You are going to want to return to your old ways. And let me tell you, THAT IS OKAY! It is bound to happen and there is no reason to beat yourself up over it. Just don’t forget to keep moving forward. This is a lifelong journey! Every time you fall down and fail, you are only going to get up that much stronger. Failing leads to victory which then leads you to the path you were always meant to walk down!

     Everyday you will learn something new about yourself. And you will be so happy that you committed yourself to something that is beneficial to you. The biggest investment and commitment you could ever make in your life is to yourself, your health, and your growth. Never sacrifice your health and your goals just to please others. Don’t stop yourself from doing something because others won’t accept you and you want to be accepted. That is truly a disservice to yourself! You don’t need anyone else’s approval! You want to do this because you want to see positive changes in your life, and you must not let anything come in between that!   

     I want you to know that I am proud of you for taking the first step. I am proud of you for taking the chance on something new to improve your health, lifestyle, and diet. Also, I am proud of you for breaking through all of the fear and the self-doubt, which is the hardest to accomplish. And even if you try a new lifestyle, gave it ample time, and it doesn’t work out, just be proud of yourself that you had the courage to take the first step. Most people never try. For that, you should feel gratified! 

No matter what lifestyle change you choose, I wish you all the best on this new journey of yours! You have the power do to anything that you set your mind to! This isn’t going to be easy, but I promise you that it will be worth it! 

Love,

Sara, “S.O.Eats”