Around six years ago, while I was soaking up the rays of the social life, much more than I am now, I was given the nickname Miss Fitness.

It came about one night, in a packed bar, when I happened across a $50 bill on the floor that went unclaimed and the bartender let me keep it. With a group of friends, I placed that $50 on the bar top and bet that I could do 50 push-ups, right there, in the bar, with one of my friends laying on top of me. I was already five years into a pretty tough and regimented gym routine, determined to make myself strong (before I became focused on the aesthetic aspects), so I was confident. Probably even a bit cocky.

Needless to say, after it all, I walked out the bar that night with $100 in my pocket and a new name.

Becoming a trainer has been something that I’ve always flirted with the idea of. Back when I was in college, around my sophomore year, I looked into it to see just what was required to do it. However, I had a passion for what I was already in college for, so it took a back burner. Then life happened over the next 10 years. I settled into a job, a routine, and trying to juggle everything left me with little time to consider going back to school to be a personal trainer.

Then, one day out of the blue, I decided that it was time to take the leap. I was nearing 30 at the time, and despite liking my job quite a bit, I knew that I wanted to do more with my life. So in secrecy, I enrolled in school again and put my nose to the books.

Why did I do it secretly? Well, when you have the nickname of Miss Fitness, you can’t fail. I know a lot about training, I took a lot of nutrition courses in college to fulfill my science credits for my degrees, but I still didn’t trust that I would be able to use that knowledge on anyone but myself. As a trainer, I knew I would need to be able to take what I knew and help others achieve their goals. Self-doubt runs strong in Miss Fitness, it’s an ugly thing.

Fast forward many months in, when I got the first un-perfect score on a quiz. Until that point, I nailed everything 100%. All of my written quizzes, demonstrations on proper form, etc… That 92% on my fifteenth quiz devastated me. It was another proving factor that maybe I really couldn’t do it. Made me once again thankful that no one but my instructors knew I was doing this.

But being the determined and driven soul I am, I knew I had to press on. I couldn’t just abandon something midway through. That’s not who I am.

The week before Christmas, I dug my heels in and took my three days to do all three sections of my finals, submitted them, and patiently waited. My heart did that weird jumpy thing in my chest, and my palms kept breaking out into sweat while I waited.

When I saw the email, contacting me in regards to my final exam and overall course grade, I took three hours to finally get the berries to open it. I had received a 98% on the final overall. I had passed. Miss Fitness was now officially a certified trainer and a nutritionist (because you know, I can’t just do one thing, I have to load my plate as much as possible).

Yes it took me awhile to do it, to finally take the leap and dive into something that has been a passion and dream of mine. But in the end, I did it. I closed my eyes and stepped forward, taking the risk.

And I can say that it was the best thing that I have ever done.