Thanks to Facebook, I was reminded the other day that I passed my Personal Training Certification Exam FIVE YEARS AGO.

When I saw "5 years," my first reaction was, "WOW!" But then I thought, "That's it?" The past 5 years feel like a lifetime, yet in reality, it's not that long.

Thinking back to that day, sitting for the exam (my only exam ever taken on a college campus), I remembered how hard it was—but also how determined I was.

The course itself was long and intense, and since I'm not the best at learning through reading (which made up 95% of the course), it was a real challenge.

I put my heart and soul into working through the course and passing the exam, often reminding myself that failure was not an option. I was surprised and then proud when I scored higher than I expected.

It was one of the scariest, most rewarding things I had ever done.

Real. Simple. Fitness. was born shortly after that, but I’ll share more about that story when we come up on that 5 year anniversary. 

I’m so thankful for all of you who have followed my journey and supported me in all the various ways—it means so much.

#bebrave