I’ve changed quite a lot over the past decade or so and I’ve conquered a lot of bad habits and other obstacles. (Nothing too major – I’m not like a serial killer or anything … you can put down the phone now.)
You’re always hearing that people can’t change and I agree with that for the most part; however, people can always improve. I’ve been on a self-improvement journey for many years now and that’s why I want to write about balance and personal development on Blonde & Balanced. Here’s part of my story…
Almost a decade ago, I had a pretty different lifestyle. Granted, I was also a new college student, but my lifestyle wasn’t the lifestyle of the successful person I wanted to be some day. I’ve always been a good student. I’ve always been book smart and had good common sense. But I definitely have not always been balanced.
I used to be unhealthy, unhappy with myself, and was on the road to living beyond my means. I decided to change things.
Here are some major milestones I’ve reached in the past several years that have taught me a lot about balance and the life I want to lead:
I quit smoking.
Can you believe that I used to be a smoker? Neither can I. It seems like such a distant memory. It seems so not me. It wasn’t me. That’s why I was unhappy with the habit and why I stopped doing it and never looked back.
I started the habit right after high school and it carried into college. My first year and a half of college, I smoked pretty regularly. Not much, but enough to be considered a “smoker”. Some time during my sophomore year of college, I cut back a bit, but I still continued to smoke off and on for a couple more years.
Luckily, I started and quit the habit very early on in life, so I didn’t have a chance to form a very serious addiction or cause any major damage. At my full-time job, I sit next to a serious smoker and every time she coughs violently, I thank myself for giving up the habit.
I haven’t smoked in more than 5 years. Ironically, smoking and the smell of smoke makes me nauseous now. It was a habit that I hated even while I did it and I’m confident that I will never touch another cigarette ever again.
I started running.
Thank you, Forrest Gump. Now no one can claim that they, too, “started running” without being mocked in a Forrest Gump-like voice. But since I think Mr. Gump is pretty cool, I’m totally okay with the comparison.
It’s funny how one change for the better is like a domino effect for more personal improvements. Around the time I quit smoking regularly, I put on my tennis shoes for one the very first run of my life.
I kept in shape in high school by being on the dance team. But after high school, I didn’t participate in much physical activity, aside from the occasional aerobics or kick-boxing class with a girlfriend (which usually ended up being more of a gossip session than a sweat session at that age).
I’d always thought running looked fun and relaxing. And it seemed easy. So, one day during my sophomore year of college, I laced up some beaten up tennis shoes and set out for a jog. Andddd that lasted about 4 minutes. Maybe less. It wasn’t pretty.
By the end of my junior year, I was running 3 miles at a time about 3 times a week. I LOVED it! I loved getting outdoors, seeing my speed and endurance improve, and just feeling ALIVE.
This new habit was the beginning of my love for exercise, living well, and physical activity.
I cleaned up my finances.
This story is well-documented on Blonde & Balanced. After college, I bought a new car, moved into my first apartment, and started racking up credit card debt. Once I decided to pay off my debt, I had a $16,000 car loan and a $3,500 balance on my credit cards. I also took out a small student loan of $5,500 in college, but, luckily, I paid that off while living with the ‘rents after I graduated.
But being in debt was just a symptom of my real sickness. I was a spender. I bought new clothes every single weekend. I went out to dinner and bars with friends several times a week and every weekend. I bought nice things for my new apartment. My post-grad lifestyle just couldn’t keep up with my post-grad income.
I think I was spending because I thought I was rich (loose translation: I didn’t know jack about personal finance). It was the first time in my life that I ever made a “real” income (instead of $10 per hour at summer jobs). When I started seeing those paychecks in my bank account, I thought it was time to get happy and start spending!
That was about 5 years ago. Since then, I’ve figured out personal finance and become debt-free. Now my finances would totally be Dave Ramsey approved.
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Everyone struggles with their own personal demons and episodes of imbalance. My unhealthy habits weren’t the real me – that’s why I was so unhappy with them. It may have been tough to get started on the right track – the balanced track – but once you get going, it’s pretty easy. These days, being mindful of my health and my finances come naturally. Life is good.
What are some habits you’ve struggled with – or are struggling with – that throw your life off balance?
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Woohoo! That’s awesome that you quit smoking! I, too, am an ex-smoker. Now I can’t believe I ever smoked at all! Secondhand smoke really irritates my eyes, nose and throat these days. Quitting smoking can add years back to your life, not to mention increase your quality of life tremendously. Very cool. Now, if I could just get my finances in check…
Thanks, SARA!!!!! People who quit smoking and start working out are AWESOME.
We should really start a club. I’m just sayin’. 
congratulations on changing your story. Your story could have been all about how you became a smoker and college and you were never able to quit. But you decided on a better life for yourself, and created a whole new awesome story and life for yourself. We all have our demons, and struggles, but we have to persevere to become better people and not allow those demons to define us. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Matt!! I always love your comments. Thanks for being such an awesome reader.
Thanks for sharing your story. Congrats on reaching a balance! I was also very unhealthy in college – I drank and smoked pot, developed an eating disorder, and spent money like it was water. Six years later, I only drink wine 2-3 times a month, have a very healthy relationship with food and exercise, and my husband and I are on a mission to paying off our debt (which we should be able to do in about a year from now). I too have reined in frivilous spending to focus on the big picture: no more debt. Thanks for being an inspiration!
You are an inspiration, too.
It’s awesome when people can overcome bad habits they picked up in college because there are many people who carry those bad habits into adulthood. Nice work!!
I fully believe people can change, they just need to believe it first.
In other news, I just ranm y first half marathon yesterday and loved it!! I don’t consider myself a runner, but I can definitely see why people love it!
Love yout blog!
Wow, CONGRATS!!! That is an awesome accomplisment! Thanks, I’m glad you like the blog!
This is fantastic— I’m working on the finances part right now myself. High five to you darlin!
This will go down in Blonde & Balanced blogging history as The Day That Chelsea Commented.
Thanks for commenting!! Keep up the work on the finances! It’s tough, but it pays off. 
Smoking is the worse habit anyone can pick up, I’m glad I decided to kick as well. I can’t even fathom the thought of ever going back to smoking.
Awesome domino effect I’ve seen some domino effects among friends but sadly its going the opposite way. Keep up the wonderful lifestyle.
Nice work on kicking the habit as well!
You’re definitely an inspiration. I’m trying to improve my life because I’ve been really unhappy for the past couple of years. Basically I just knew that I couldn’t keep going the way that I’ve been living. You reach a point where you’re so tired of being unhappy. I had like an epiphany about two months ago that I needed to change my life or else I was going to end up very unhappy later on in life.
Anyway so a few weeks ago I started exercising, eating more veggies and fruits, I was 170 and now I’m down to 162. I’ve cut back on caffeine, I do have a couple of soda’s each week, so I haven’t given it up completely but I used to have 4 sodas every day. So do go down to 2 a week is a huge accomplishment.
I’m even taking 2 summer classes right now to get my degree faster, and I’m paying off my credit card next week, so I’m very excited about that. Thanks for sharing your story, it really helps that someone did it before and was able to achieve it.
btw, how did you quit smoking? My bf’s next goal is trying to quit smoking, right now we’re losing weight together, so I’d like to hear how you did it.
That is awesome! Keep up the good work. You will be happy in the end.
I quit smoking slowly. I was only a very regular smoker for about a year. I hated myself the whole time, so I think that helped. I quit smoking regularly pretty quickly, but I was always tempted when I was out with friends, so I’d usually give in in those situations. For me, overall, I think it just took determination and the desire to want to quit and do better things with my body.
When they say you have to want to quit to actually quit, they mean it. It also helps that I was never a full-blow nicotine addict. When I smoked regularly, I was 18-19 years old. That was almost 10 years ago, and I was clueless at that age. 
Thanks Amber, I’ll pass along what you’ve said. Thanks for getting back to me.
That’s really great that you are so young and you got it together. Some people don’t realize things until later on in life, and then it’s really hard to get out of debt.
I’ve struggled with a lot of demon’s my self in life, and like you said , looking back I don’t feel like that person was me.
Right now the biggest thing for me is spending too much money on things that I probably don’t need, and I am working on getting my finances in check. Thankfully I’ve never had a credit card, I’ve always known they are evil.
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YYou’re right–I would NEVER have pegged you as unhealthy in ANY way, let alone a smoker!
(BTW, that is something I’ve struggled with on and off for some time–so you are not alone!) The fact that none of us can imagine you doing the negative things you mentioned or NOT doing the positive (running, etc.) things shows how far you’ve come and how much you have accomplished! You have a LOT to be proud of, girl! I have struggles with making time/finding energy to exercise right now…I know I just need to do it and make it a ‘routine’ like your other post mentioned. Thanks for the encouragement!
Wow! Amber, I didn’t know any of this about you, and it makes me REALLY applaud how far you’ve come! What a transformation! That’s such an inspiring story to share, and I really hope it helps people who, right now, are in the same shoes that you used to be in. Plus I love that you say that “one change for the better is like a domino effect for more personal improvements.” I’ll have to remember that!
I loved this post! Doing a bit of reflection and the impact of sharing it with others I think will keep propelling you towards your goals and maintaining the healthy ones you’ve already achieved. Even more so, as I can see from your other readers, it’s a source of inspiration. It can be intimidating to read about someone that’s found balance when you don’t have it yourself, so kudos to you to show us that it wasn’t *always* this way, but if you can make the journey to leading a healthier, happier, more balanced life, we all can do the same! You have a fan in me!