An elephant chained to the post

All my life I have been an elephant chained to the post. How's that for positive self imagery? Nice,eh? Now, I am not really calling myself an elephant, so let me explain. When baby elephants are born, and being trained in the circus, the trainers chain their ankle to a metal post to keep them from wandering off. They are conditioned over and over that they cannot break that metal chain, the thing that ultimately keeps them from being free. Even when they grow up to be these large, magnifient creatures, their brain tells them that they can't break free, even though we all know they possess the power within themselves to very easily pull away and break the chains. That is why I compare myself to an elephant chained to a post. Me, being the elephant, and my fears, doubts, demons, and self loathing,which physically translates into extra weight on my body, keeps me from breaking through to freedom. But, today is a new day for me. I am sick and tired of sitting on the sidelines of life, watching everyone around me live and pursue their dreams. It's my turn. And why not? I deserve to be happy and have peace in my life. Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I am going to give myself reasons why I can. Yesterday marked week one of being on the Ideal Protein lifestyle. I lost 15.5 pounds and 6 inches. I feel amazing. I am choosing to ignore the people who tell me I will gain all the weight back, or that this isn't going to work. I am choosing to love myself and for the first time ever, give myself a chance. For the first time ever, I am going to break the chains and fly free.