Out With The Old

Happy Tuesday #Jontourage,

​Welcome back to the “Classy Gent Chronicles”, where staying classy is the only way to be. In this week’s edition, read about having to say goodbye to something that has been a part of my life for over a decade

So for those of you who follow me on social media, you saw that I recently celebrated one year on my health journey. Within that one year, I lost 110 pounds from July 4, 2019 to July 4, 2020. God planted a seed into my spirit that said it was time for a major change.

In addition to losing 110 pounds over the last year:

1. I went from 3XL/4XL shirts to now an XL. Also lost 5 pants sizes
2. I did a one-year water challenge (no juice, soda, or alcohol)
3. I can now run a mile in 8’41”. It used to take me 17 minutes
4. I even participated in a three-day vegan challenge hosted by Mýa https://www.authorjon.com/blog/jon-the-vegan

However, this blog post isn’t necessarily about weight loss. It is about the tough thing I had to do because of it. I had to part ways with the majority of my wardrobe. Seven bags of clothes. Seven bags y’all! Imagine losing all of your clothes. Think of everything in your wardrobe… pants, shirts, robes, jackets, suits, etc. There is pretty much nothing that I can wear that won’t look crazy on me…except my shoes, socks, and ties. My shoes, socks and neckties were the only things that survived “Hurricane Weight Loss.” I remember my first thought was that this is going to be such a financial inconvenience because clothes I have had for almost a decade (some probably longer) are now unusable. Although I am proud of my accomplishment, some of my favorite shirts had to be donated. But then I realized something…
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The closing of a chapter presents the opportunity for the opening of a new chapter. The next level of your life requires you to level up. I would feel terrible if I lost opportunities because my wardrobe didn’t match my appearance. I do a lot of public speaking around branding but it would make me look less credible to not have clothes that properly fit. Although I have certain outfits that were my favorite, losing the weight gives me an opportunity to develop new favorites. There are a lot of people who said pizza was their favorite food until Baked Ziti came along and now boom… you have a new favorite food. I say all of this to say…

​Change is not a bad thing. Those clothes have done great by me for all of those years but it is time for me to embrace a new season in my life and I don’t mean winter, summer, spring, or fall. I mean the season of this new body. New outfits, new styles, new everything. I do not really like to shop but it gives me an opportunity to get out of the house, get some steps in (exercise while shopping go figure), and potentially even meet new people. I am actually excited now.
 
What changes are you hoping to make in your life?

Moral of the story: You cannot put fresh food in your refrigerator if all of your expired food is still occupying space. You cannot park your new car in the garage if the broken down car with no engine is in the garage. In order to say hello to the new, it is time to say goodbye to the old.

​​Remember, in order to live out your dreams, you have to think it, feel it, live it! Until next time, stay classy...

For more Classy Gent Chronicles blog post, be sure to visit https://www.authorjon.com/blog