If I can change my life you can too - "Dare To Be Bold"

by Marion Licchiello-Lenz
(New York)

I want to share with you how I moved forward to claim my dreams through all kinds of setbacks, chaos and obstacles. I share this with you today, not only for your benefit but for mine also. I?ve been going through difficult times lately and I know I"ll come through them again. Time does heal all wounds. Positive thoughts get me through everything. I got through hard times before and I"ll get through the grief now.

I am 47 years old and I am living a wonderful life. I was born and raised in "The Bronx" but my dreams far exceeded my surroundings. By the time I left it wasn't really a safe place to live. It was time to move on. Before I moved I had Lyme Disease and was bedridden for nine months. This was a very trying time for me. I was in my early twenties and I couldn?t be part of any normal activities. I couldn?t work, dance, go out, drive, workout or walk for more than a minute. I went from working out 6 times per week to being in bed on medications, paralysis on and off, memory loss, etc. During that time I felt as if I was a totally different person. I gained a tremendous amount of weight and I was very out of shape, unlike "the me" I once knew. I realized who my friends really were and I had the huge disappointment of my bosses not taking me back on a job I was employed at for four years before my illness.

The ninth month of my Lyme Disease my sister gave me personal development CD's to listen to. I figured what have I got to lose. I listened and my life started transforming before my eyes.
I decided I was going to be healthy even though the doctors, books and literature said I was going to have this disease for the rest of my life, since it was caught at such a late stage. Back then they did not know enough about it. My goal was to not only get healthy but to help others to do the same. Those CD's made me realize I could Dare To Be Bold. If I could do it and get better, why couldn?t I help others to do the same?

So I started out on a journey to getting healthy, much like my journey now. CD after CD, workout after workout, healthy food and a positive attitude got me to one of the highest points in my life. Despite what the medical professionals, friends, and some family members who thought I was nuts, I started preparing for the new me. I began setting out for my dream of helping others through articles such as this. I went to seminar after seminar and had coaching sessions to learn as much as I could. I realized I wanted to help others the way the speakers, motivators and coaches had helped me.


I read books and magazines that had a positive spin on them about success, happiness, affirmations, inspiration, motivation and anything that would help me to stay focused and positive. I still do. Most subjects were self taught. I'm writing my own book now. hooray! I started reading more about fitness every day. With the help of Weight Watchers, exercise DVD's, and a nearby high school track, I went from being very overweight to being a healthy weight, then went on to become a Weight Watchers Leader to help other people do the same. Year after year I would complete one certification after another to learn how to serve others: Personal Training and Fitness Counseling, Hypnosis, Thought Field Therapy, Reiki, Kinesiology and so on. I just completed my Vision Coach certification and my Biggest Loser Pro Trainer certification. I am so proud and it's all because of positive thinking sites such as this one I was able to move on in life.

Because I changed my life I wanted to do everything possible to share with others. I am happy to say I helped to give many people tools to help themselves because I dared to be bold and knew I could do it. I accomplished all this even when people all around me were telling me I couldn't. When it seemed as if all hope was gone, I believed in myself and in turn people started believing in me. Lyme disease was a blessing in disguise. It brought back childhood memories that were a shocker to me. So that also helped me to get over things I didn't even know existed, things that might have been holding me back from being "the me" I wanted to be. I still believe to this day everything is a learning lesson and a blessing in disguise. We just need to pay attention.

I'm happy to say I knew I could live a better life. Here I am 25 years later and I am still sharing my journey with you in the hopes it sparks something in you to understand if I can do it, you can too.

So in the midst of an illness that had me bedridden, depressed and feeling my lowest, I turned my life around to not only better myself but to give others the tools to do the same. It's pretty amazing how life works. Your darkest hour can turn out to be the opportunity you were looking for too? Dare to be Bold?.