Where does your motivation come from?

I have days where I want to quit and give up on things just like everyone else. I get frustrated, down, and I can't seem to see the positive sometimes. When I have days like these, I look to my close friends to help me out. Other times I like to sit by myself and zone out to music that I can connect with for an hour.

What keeps me going and uplifts me goes beyond getting sound advice from my family and friends. I look to my friends and at their ambitions and goals. I look to my Fitness International Model family and to people who have left me inspired in some way or another.

What blows me away about my friends, the ones that have their goals laid out in front of them and are working towards them, is they always seem to find a way to be joyful about what it is they're doing. They take up side hobbies, painting, quilting, anything that makes life a little more uplifting for them. They find the humor in their jobs.

I look at my Fitness International Family and I have the opportunity and pleasure to watch everyone succeed in their fitness goals and working hard within the creative entertainment industry. I find joy in seeing their successes, because I know when I have success I receive the same kind of encouragement from them as well. I love that I can feel challenged in a healthy way by my FMI family. When I see everyone making huge strides, I want to do the same. I love that we can all support each other and network with one another. I'm blessed to have so many amazing people in my life near and far away.

Where does your motivation come from?

Who can you trust?

I wanted to share an experience I had today. For those of you looking for a career in the entertainment industry, I'm advising all of you to be careful with who you trust.

Normally, I don't like to refer to craigslist a lot for casting calls, but there are some great potential jobs out there, you just really have to pay attention. I found a casting call on craigslist the other day wanting models for a sports ad. The information wasn't specified so I asked for the person who posted the ad to please provide me with more information. When I received an email back, the casting was through Emerald City Talent in Washington. I had heard good and bad things in the past about this agency. I thought the worst thing I could do was check it out.

I went into the "casting" filled out a piece of paper with my name, contact info, stats, height etc. When I went into the "interview" they said they wanted to take some shots, but disregarded my mention about the ad when they asked how I had found out about them. Half way through the photo session of typical head shots, I knew this was a scam. The photographer took ten shots than told me to change into the next wardrobe change.

I let the photographer know I had a family emergency and had to leave. The photographer told me I needed to put down a deposit on the photos he just took. I couldn't believe it. I told him that money was tight and I couldn't make the payment. He told me I needed to make the deposit. I was getting nervous and paid the deposit to get out of the so called casting.

So the lesson is this, not only for those reading, but for myself once again: DO NOT EVER pay an agency to work with you. If you have to pay money to work with an agency than it not only is a waste of time, but a scam! Don't worry, I'll have a small update about the deposit issue on Monday.

Especially for women out there, please be care. When I first started modeling I took my mom with me to EVERY shoot I did. Not that the photographers I worked with weren't professional, but I wanted my body guard and makeup artist near by just in case. Now that I've gotten older, I'm more aware of my surroundings and have learned how to take care of myself.

Stay strong and happy :)

Success Tips: Nutrition

I always love when I find out facts about nutrition. Many of my friends and family have seen the physical transformation I've made since becoming a huge fitness enthusiast a little over a year ago. Choosing to become physically fit and has become one of the BEST decisions I've made for myself. I feel better about myself and I have more energy than I know what to do with some days.

However, getting a great body didn't happen overnight. I had to study a lot about the human body, learn new exercises, and retrain myself with my eating habits. I've never been the type of person to go for the sugar. When I was younger, if my mom offered me ice cream for dessert, I would often turn her down and ask for a piece of fruit. As I've gotten older, I'll admit I've developed more of sweet tooth, but after working as hard as I have to gain a healthy physique, reaching for the sweets doesn't happen often.

Exercise is important for staying healthy, but 90% of reaching for your fitness goals and staying in great shape comes from eating clean. It's a little fact I picked up from reading Oxygen Magazine.

Have a healthy day! :)