We recently connected with Tajera Lawkin and have shared our conversation below.
Tajera, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Self confidence is something that I continue to work on everyday. I have came a far way from the person I was in college 5 years ago, the person I was a year ago, or even the person I was yesterday. My self confidence has developed over the years by finding the time to truly learn how to love and appreciate myself. This came in the form of taking care of myself physically, mentally and emotionally. By doing all of these core things, I found myself getting more and more confident because I was not only healthy to the outside view but I was also healthy on the inside. Having a clear mindset allows room for me to grow in all aspects of my life and I continue to do so everyday.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a Registered Nurse working in the Intensive Care Unit. When I am not at work I use my time to grow in other aspects of my life. A part of this growth has been my fitness journey, which I have grown to love. Going to the gym allows me to be in a mindset that makes me feel confident about the person I am becoming. It allows me to be healthier physically which in return helps with mental and emotional well being. I was a college track athlete in the past but I didn’t continue to work out like I use to once I graduated. After being diagnosed with Pre-diabetes and PCOS a couple years ago, I decided to take my health back into my own hands. This included getting back into gym but also changing the way I eat as well. My fitness journey started in the kitchen by allowing myself to create healthier meal choices. By doing this, along with the gym and fasting, I was able to lower my levels and I am no longer pre- diabetic. This is something that I a very proud of and I continue to follow through with everyday. My favorite quote to myself is “don’t call it dieting, make it a lifestyle”!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three qualities that were most impactful in my journey was my determination, resilience, and the ability to show myself grace. This is not an easy journey, but I have come to realize that nothing comes easy in life and you have to put the work in if you’re expecting to see results. If I had to give anyone advice, it would be to stay the course! There are gonna be times when you will make mistakes but you have to give yourself grace and keep moving forward. This is where resilience comes in because not many can withstand or recover from a mistake they make. Don’t beat yourself up! Move on and continue to walk the path to your goals even if it may look different from the person walking that same path. What you will realize once you start moving forward, is that you have in you more strength than you thought.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
The biggest growth in my life for the past year has been my dedication to bettering my health and fitness. I have been very consistent in going to the gym as well as continuing to make healthy life swaps. I have started a fitness page on both Instagram and TikTok as a means of sharing my journey with others in hopes of inspiring not just to join the journey but to believe in themselves and that they too can experience the transformation they would want for themselves. On my fitness page I share gym workouts, healthy food and treats. My goal is for my page to continue to grow but to also have an impact on people’s fitness journey at the same time. It makes me happy when even one of my followers reach out to me with a question about my fitness journey or where they could start from. This allows me to share my story and give tips on what works for me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tajeranotch?igsh=MW83bHdidzNiZWhueA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16BjjbVbw7/?mibextid=wwXIfr
