A lot of people have asked me why I compete.  After all, it’s costly, it requires extreme discipline, and when I keep missing those IFBB Pro Card slots, I admit that I get despondent.  Truth be told, I had no inkling when I stepped onstage in July 2009 for my first competition that I would become afflicted with the mad desire to continue competing.

First of all, it pushes me to improve myself, not just physically but mentally and spiritually.  It gives me a specific goal to attain every few months.  It also enables me to be in an environment in which I am surrounded by like-minded individuals who are driven, more than a little obsessive-compulsive, and passionate about inspiring others to pursue optimal fitness.  What’s more, these individuals are beautiful to look at!

The thrill of stepping onstage wearing a well-cut bikini, blingy jewelry, and having my makeup done and my hair coiffed is unbeatable.  I get to do a reveal, an unveiling of all the hard work I had put in during the weeks leading up to a competition in hopes that it will be rewarded.  I don’t necessarily need the reward or the approval of the judges, but I want it.

So say what you will about the sacrifice and the expense of competing.  Until you have stepped on that bodybuilding stage and gotten bitten by the bug, you will not fully understand the exhilaration that comes with being a competitor.  There isn’t anything I have done in my life that quite approaches that high, and I have done a lot in my life, including performing and competing in a beauty pageant and obtaining a medical degree.

Hope that clears up the confusion surrounding why I continue to compete.