What Taking My Honeymoon Five Years Late Taught Me About Creating an Irresistible Life

It’s been almost a month since I got back from our five year anniversary trip in Mexico. I had an amazing time and it was much over due. See, we didn’t get to take our honeymoon when we got married. We had all intentions of doing that a few months after the wedding but then some heavy stuff happened. Life got in the way. Like a lot. Each year we found ourselves saying “next year, next year.” Well, just like anything else in life “next year” or “some day” doesn’t come. Unless you are intentional and create a plan. So, this year I made it happen. I was done saying “one day” and decided that I DESERVE it.

Sitting on a tropical beach while drinking margaritas has a way of letting you think about things. It’s funny how slowing down and actually taking the time to LIVE life does that. I had a few “aha moments” as they relate to creating an irresistible life, body image, and binge eating.

1. It’s OK to Be Happy!

I felt guilty for taking the time to go on this amazing vacation. I was even embarrassed to announce it on Facebook because I felt like I didn’t deserve it. For years I operated with a mentality that I can’t be truly happy unless everything is perfect. Well, there is ALWAYS something going on in our own lives or with the people we love. It’s all about mindset. You either roll around in a pity party or roll with the punches.

It’s not about glossing over the sad stuff and pretending everything is ok. Geesh, those personality types really drive me up the wall! It’s about recognizing it and then choosing how to deal with it. This trip meant a lot more to me than just getting away from it all. It symbolized overcoming obstacles. I’ve worked my ass off for the past five years and it was about celebrating all of those successes, failures, and lessons.

We only get ONE chance at this life! ONE! There is no do over. The time to be free and be happy is now. That is living an irresistible life! You have permission to be happy! You deserve to be happy!

2. Don’t Wait for the Weight!

I’ve been waiting my whole life for the “perfect body.” Then I’ll go on a tropical vacation. Then I’ll go after my dream career. Then my life wiil be perfect. Gimme a break! These are all LIES we tell ourselves!

I’m not saying I’ll never get to my goal weight but I can’t stop living in the meantime. You deserve a break no matter what size you are. One of the biggest things I’ve learned on my weight loss journey is to stop waiting for the weight. All you have is right now. Accept it. Embrace it. Take a deep breath and know that you’re still going to work on your goals but you’re not putting life on hold.

Don’t hide from the camera. Get into those memories! You’ll be thankful for it later. This is where YOU are right here, right now. Own it. But have the courage to know you can change if you want to change.

It takes a long time for your brain to catch up with your body.

My husband took this picture of me while we were on vacation and I said, “Wow! I actually look like a normal size person here.” He (bless his heart) said, “That’s because you ARE a normal sized person!”

That’s hard to hear because I still don’t fully believe that. Nope my body isn’t perfect or at my ideal goal weight. But, I’m further along than I was.

I still wore a bathing suit. I still wore tank tops and shorts. You can still look irresistible and wear cute things. That is not reserved only for “skinny girls.” You have the right to take up space and look cute while doing it!

If you keep waiting for the weight you’re going to miss out on life.

3. Try New Things

Weight and body image impact so much more than just our physical bodies. Being over 250+lbs and bullied for my weight made me scared to try anything.  When you’ve had strangers tell you you’re too fat to ride a rollercoaster or that the “fat section” is over there, the first thing you always worry about is “I wonder if there’s a weight limit?” To this day, I stress out about that. I’m getting better about it but again it takes time for the brain to catch up.

Back to my original point, Try New Things.

Losing weight and gaining confidence has helped me create an irresistible life that I was absent from for many years. I may never be one of those people to bungee jump or skydive but I crave trying new things these days.

Kayaking this summer helped me find confidence and peace. I was more active on this vacation than I am at home! We walked an average of 20,000 steps a day! I swam in underground rivers, went helmet diving, and even jumped in and swam in a cenote (sinkhole) 140 feet deep!  I may not be skinny and I’m sure as hell not perfect but I’m going to live life and enjoy every minute of it.

Another amazing thing happens when you start trying new things. Food was not the focus. Fun was the focus. It’s so weird because I rarely thought about food on this trip! We were actually so busy that it became an after thought. Did I really just say that? These changes don’t come over night. It’s like that saying, “gradually then suddenly.”

4. Unplug and Be in the Moment

Verizon 4G doesn’t work in Mexico unless you update your plan. I decided I only wanted the ability to text and call to check in on Chuy and in case of an emergency. The first day without social media and the ability to Google was . . . weird! It felt uncomfortable. I think it was withdrawals!

But then something amazing happened. My husband and I were connecting on a totally different level. We didn’t have that annoying distraction. We both realized how much time we spend online together but not together. That’s really hard for me because of what I do for a living but that’s why it’s important to set boundaries.

We definitely have become reliant on our phones. So reliant that we even missed our scheduled tour to Chichen Itza because our phones weren’t syncing up with the local time zone. Note to Self: Bring an old fashioned watch on the next vacation!

Thank goodness we got to reschedule!

It’s awesome to be in the moment and only worry about you and not what everyone else is doing. Honestly I didn’t miss much. Social media has become way too noisy and filled with way too many low quality memes and stupid vines anyways.

Take time every day to unplug and be in the moment!

5. Something is Better Than Perfect

This tip kind of ties into everything I’ve been talking about in this post. A lot of us with compulsive eating disorders or any compulsions tend to be perfectionists. I know, it’s kind of weird how that works. Perfectionism is often seen as a positive but it’s actually quite dangerous. It prevents us from taking REAL action.

I took my honeymoon FIVE years after our wedding! That’s not “perfect” but we did it.

During our first few years of marriage it was a challenge. The things we went through were HARD! What I’m saying is that it might not seem possible today or even next year to do plan the vacation you’ve been dreaming of. BUT, there are things you can start doing to get the ball rolling.

There is never going to be the perfect amount of money in the bank, or the perfect body, or the perfect lull in work to sneak out and get away. You must be intentional in order for things to happen. Stop throwing yourself a pity party and take actions towards your goals. Even if that means you can’t take the “perfect” trip right now . . . you can do something. You can go somewhere less expensive. Take a road trip. Be a tourist in your own city for the day. Something is better than perfect.

Something is better than perfect. I’m a work in progress. This is a journey.

Your Turn! Let’s Talk!

The past month has been a whirlwind! Between catching up from vacation and starting my new job with BlogPaws, I think I’m finally back in the saddle. I’m working hard at getting my Irresistible You eCourse relaunched for the New Year! Stay tuned via my email newsletter for more updates and insider info about that. Oh and there’s a free download just for signing up! Just sayin’!

You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more “irresistible” content!

Now it’s your turn, leave me a comment down below. Where have you always dreamed of going? What can you do in 2016 to create an irresistible life and make your dreams a reality ?

Hi! I’m Aimee with 2 E’s. I'm a confidence coach that empowers women to love themselves by breaking down body image issues, so that they can lose the emotional weight and gain the confidence to look and feel irresistible...at any size.