"I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well." - Diane Ackerman

I know this has happened to all of us at one time in our life or another. You are face-to-face with something that you’ve always wanted ..."I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well." - Diane Ackerman

I know this has happened to all of us at one time in our life or another. You are face-to-face with something that you’ve always wanted to do, stop binge eating disorder, but something stops you. Instead of accepting something that’s always appealed to you, the words “no thank you” come out of your mouth. Instead of asking for something you want, you find yourself too afraid to even ask.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to help people. I was never sure how I would do that, but I knew that it was something that I was extremely passionate about. I want to make a difference in people’s lives. In college, I thought about being a teacher, but then I wasn’t sure that I was passionate about it enough. I switched to marketing, but then didn’t think that I would get much out of doing that. I was lost as to how to achieve my dream of helping people. I would wrack my brain over and over to try to see what things I was good at so I could help someone. Nothing came to mind. It was frustrating.

Once I told my husband about my binge eating disorder and after I was in therapy, I just knew that I was supposed to help people with binge eating disorder. I just had a good feeling about it. The good feeling lasted about as long as it could until I started thinking that I would have to share my struggles with binge eating disorder with strangers and people that already knew me. I started to take a step back because I didn’t want to make myself that vulnerable. I knew that I could help people, but something inside blocked me from doing anything about it for some time.

My mind would race about all of the things that I could do to benefit others with sharing my story. But then I would argue with myself saying “No one will care. I’m just a nobody. What will people think?” But then I remembered searching on the Internet for other success stories from people who had overcome binge eating disorder and finding nothing. “Just try it and see what happens. What have you got to lose?”

Finally without thinking too much about it, I started writing down everything that I could about my experience with binge eating disorder. I looked over my entire journal writings and realized that I had a lot of good information to share. I stopped thinking and worrying about putting myself out there, and realized that if I was going to help someone – this was just what I needed to do. I spent many days in my office just writing my binge eating disorder eBook, and not focusing any amount of energy on worrying about it.

If I wouldn’t have challenged myself to keep moving forward, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to develop great relationship with many of you. I wouldn’t have had the chance to read the emails that bring tears to my eyes. I wouldn’t have had the chance to be doing what I absolutely love. You know many people hate their jobs. They do not like getting up and going to work everyday. I’m so thankful that I listened to that voice in my head that kept on pushing me to do this because I wake up every morning and can’t wait to check my email and work on all of the great things that I have planned. I feel truly blessed to be doing what I’m doing.

When you do the things that you’ve always wanted to do, you expand your comfort zone, discover something new about yourself, and have a lot of fun doing it. The next time you have the chance to do something, don’t wait so long. Do the uncomfortable by going through with it and saying “yes”! You do have the power to change your relationship with food and stop binge eating disorder from progressing anymore!

Author's Bio: 

Kristin Gerstley suffered from compulsive overeating and now has a very healthy relationship with food. (In addition, she lost 70+ pounds after she beat her eating disorder.) Since 2005, Kristin has helped thousands of people who suffer from Binge Eating Disorder through her website: www.endbingeeatingnow.com. A 100% free newsletter is available where you can read Kristin's actual journal entries when she was coming to terms with her food addiction and binge eating disorder.