The year started off just as I expected, with the launch of Rock The Naked Truth, a man I thought I could trust for life and a newfound interest in the sport of triathlons.
Then life decided it had other plans for me.
I was hurled to the ground when the rship soured abruptly, as I got pushed away into limbo for a while before the final curtain came down. I remember the pain, the hurt, the tears, the self-doubt and the inferiority complex. But no, this isn’t me.
So I rose.
And on the last day of 2016, I am proud to share my 5 highlights of the year:
1) Creating Rock The Naked Truth
This community means everything to me. After suffering from my own body image and self-esteem issues for over 10 years, I wanted to do a body image movement to help others who are facing the same issues. I finally found the courage to do it and I launched Rock The Naked Truth on 9 January 2016.
Being self-funded, I’m limited to how much I can grow it but I’m blessed to have received support from friends and brands who believe in our cause and the message we are sharing. I’ve seen firsthand how this movement has positively impacted people and changed their lives, so I know I’m on the right track with this.
As we turn 1 soon, I want to continue bringing hope to people and helping them find their confidence. Let’s all help to spread the message further!
2) Growing the ROCKrunners family
This is indeed our weekly dosage of happiness. Every Saturday morning, the ROCKrunners meet to run, laugh and bond over planks and burpees. The friendships gained from this have been priceless and their invaluable support is what kept me going through the hard times.
3) Completing my first IRONMAN 70.3
Up till July I was still saying “Nah I will never do an IM race because it’s too much”. 4 months later I completed my first IM 70.3 race in Phuket and that’s just the beginning. Never say never. This journey has brought so much out of me and this lifestyle is one to stay.
I can go on forever about how this has changed my life forever, but I’m sure you have heard my story a million times so I won’t bore you with the details. Ultimately, my IRONMAN journey has provided me with a purpose in times of loss, betrayal and heartbreak.
4) Working with major brands
I’m really fortunate to have worked with major brands like H&M, Marigold, adidas, Superdry, Blackmores, Oasia and Fitbit; doing campaigns with them through videos and photos.
For the H&M campaign, it was for their Fall fashion collection and I even had hang tags with my picture on it in stores! This was a turning point for me as well because I couldn’t believe that was me in the pictures. I was a little nervous for the photoshoot, because I’ve not done a shoot like that in a while and I was afraid I would turn out looking awkward. Fortunately, the Clozette team was very helpful and I LOVE the looks they created for me. #achievementunlocked
I then worked with Marigold to spread this message – “When you feel good, it shows.” I was part of a social experiment where we had to describe ourselves as Not Looking Good / Average / Looking Good. I would confidently describe myself as “Looking Good” but most people would describe themselves as “Average”. And my question is why? Why would you only describe yourself as Average? Be confident about yourself! Everyone is different and we are all unique in our own ways. Treat yourself the way you deserve to be treated. Because if you aren’t kind to yourself, then who will be? You can watch the video here.
I am grateful for these opportunities and for their belief in me!
5) Finding myself
This year has brought about tremendous personal growth and change – for the better, much better. You can decide how you want to get out of a situation – either you sink or swim. I chose to swim, bloody hard. Keep the positive people around you and throw the toxic people out. Don’t let the pain control you, because you are stronger than that.
In this New Year, I wish all of you much happiness, love and joy.
