Phillip Love 9/20/13 English 1102 Rebecca Agosta A Lens of Self-Perception I o!

e "p to #$ phone ringing% &he roo# as 'ar! an' it as earl$ on a Sat"r'a$% (ho co"l' be calling #e so earl$) &ire' an' grogg$* I slo l$ rolle' over to ans er #$ phone% It as the car ash that I ha' applie' at* an' the$ ante' #e to co#e an' or! a f"ll 'a$+s shift in an ho"r, E-cite'* I hoppe' o"t of be' an' ."ic!l$ got rea'$% I p"t on #$ favorite pair of pants an' a nice loo!ing polo* b"t I reali/e' that so#ething as not ."ite right% 0$ favorite pair of pants an' polo ha' shr"n!* or ha' I gotten bigger) I felt 'o n abo"t #$self* b"t contin"e' on to or! an$ a$% Altho"gh obesit$ as not #$ tr"e i'entit$* #$ tho"ghts ere set that I o"l' be fat for the rest of #$ life% 1oth of #$ parent+s fa#ilies are over eight* creating an at#osphere I co"l' easil$ sle"th into% I tho"ght that #$ i'entit$ ithin nat"re 'efine' #e as a heav$ in'ivi'"al2 #$ genes pre'ispose' #e to be obese% As ti#e passe'* I reali/e' that #$ obesit$ 'i' not ste# fro# nat"re+s tr"e intention for #$ f"t"re b"t fro# #$ o n fear that #$ genetics pre'eter#ine' #$ 'estin$% People o"l' see #e an' #a!e f"n of #e* b"t I tho"ght that as 3"st ho I as #a'e to be% If I as #eant to be s!inn$* then I o"l' be% I ha' a or!ing intervie at the car ash that 'a$* an' the$ love' the a$ I or!e'% &he car ash absol"tel$ change' #$ life beca"se I as in the s"n all 'a$ s eating* b"t #ore i#portantl$ it got #e o"t of the ho"se% At the ti#e* hen I as ho#e

alone I o"l' eat% After or!ing at the car ash for abo"t fo"r #onths I ha' alrea'$ lost t ent$ po"n's, I as e-cite' to see that #$ bo'$ as changing* so I began see!ing e-tra help% I tal!e' to a girl at #$ father+s office* an' she e-plaine' to #e that it+s i#portant not to eat 3"n! foo'* b"t it+s also i#portant to sat"rate $o"r bo'$ ith health$ n"trition 'ense foo', She tol' #e I nee'e' to eat a lot #ore to lose #ore eight% &hat 'oesn+t #a!e an$ sense, 4o co"l' eating #ore foo' help #e lose #ore eight) S"re eno"gh* I follo e' her instr"ctions an' ."ic!l$ sa res"lts% I contin"e' ith the eight loss "ntil I ha' finall$ reache' #$ goal2 5ne-h"n're' an' fort$-five po"n's% I felt s!inn$ an' confi'ent li!e never before, 6espite the eight loss* I as still "nhapp$ ith #$ bo'$% I starte' loo!ing for other a$s to change an' #ol' the a$ I ante' to loo!% 5ne of #$ close frien's as big into eight lifting* so he ta"ght #e ho to lift eights an' eat to 7get s ole%8 I began lifting an' as b"il'ing #"scle at an over hel#ing rate% I po erlifte' aro"n' five 'a$s a ee!* 'oing all of the big lifts to b"il' #"scle* s"ch as 'ea'lifts* s."ats* bench* an' #ilitar$ press% As I achieve' #$ goals* I slo l$ reali/e' that satisfaction ith $o"r o n personal i#age is not #a'e b$ the a$ that $o" loo! b"t ho $o" perceive $o"rself% &his brings #e to the Instit"tional perspective% 9"st li!e in instit"tions* the civili/ation aro"n' "s operates on a specific set of r"les% Each #e#ber* li!e a or!er* has a set of obligations 'elegate' to the# thro"gho"t the 'a$ an' is responsible to higher a"thorities if the$ brea! a a$ fro# their set path% In the sa#e sense* people follo a set #etho' of "n'erstoo' e-pectations base' on personal appearance% :or instance* if a person ere to gain one h"n're' an' fort$ eight po"n's* the people aro"n' the# o"l' instantaneo"sl$ alter their interactions an' perception ith that person% Altho"gh not

e-plicitl$ state'* the "n'erl$ing tr"th hol's still that in or'er to s"ccee' an' rise in social stan'ar's* a general 7i#age8 is re."ire'% Let+s face it* a 'isting"ishe' ell #aintaine' in'ivi'"al o"l' easil$ #a!e #ore of an i#pression than an in'ivi'"al lac!ing self'iscipline% 1eing a high schooler in the t ent$-first cent"r$* I ."ic!l$ 'iscovere' this concept% At the ris! of s"b#itting into the societal nor#* I 'eci'e' to e#brace societ$+s stan'ar's in or'er to achieve #$ goals an' to ph$sicall$ perfor# at #$ f"ll potential% In 'oing this* I accepte' the ne l$ e-ten'e' position into the instit"tion of civili/ation an' slo l$ cli#b the ran!s% ;o * here I stan'* a #o'el representative of the invisible a"thorit$ sha'o that loo#s over ever$ in'ivi'"al ithin a str"ct"re' establish#ent% &hose aro"n' #e o"l' profess that I have al a$s been a self-confi'ent in'ivi'"al% I effortlessl$ 3eere' along ith #$ frien's an' e#brace' the 7t"bb$ cornfla!es8 i'entit$ given to #e% &he 'isco"rse i'entit$ force' #e to a'opt a sea#lessl$ confi'ent e-terior* blen'ing into hat societ$ e-pecte' of #$ self-perception% As the eight as lost* #$ false persona of confi'ence as she' a a$* an' a ne l$ fo"n' tr"th e#brace' #e% &he #orale that co#es ith a sense of acceptance an' self-ass"rance 'iffers co#pletel$ fro# the previo"sl$ overin'"lge' an' ea! ille' bo$ that once 'efine' #e as a person in the social sphere that I inhabite'% (hile societ$ 'efine' #e a self-confi'ent person* the people aro"n' #e onl$ sa #e as s"ch beca"se I #$self 'eci'e' to e#bo'$ ever$ facet of #$self an' not sh$ a a$ fro# ho I tr"l$ a#% In essence* other people perceive an in'ivi'"al as the$ perceive the#selves2 so#eone cannot hi'e behin' a false e-terior% Event"all$* their fa<a'e ill cr"#ble% As I traverse' into the ne-t chapter of life* a ne gro"p incorporate' #e into their #i-% &his gro"p* so#e #ight even call an affinit$ gro"p* incl"'e' #e in their ran!s of

athleticis# an' fitness conscientio"sness% As a ne #e#ber* I began to i#pact other people+s a$ of living% 0$ affinit$ i'entit$* 'efine' b$ #$ 'eter#ination to better not onl$ #$self b"t other people as ell* slo l$ 'evelope' as I spent ti#e i##ersing #$self ith people ho share' the i'entical passion for ph$sical fitness% I 'iscovere' #$ tr"e passion for chiropractic an' personal fitness* as ell as the fitness of others% 0$ goal to help other people change their lives ill be acco#plishe' thro"gh the !no le'ge I have gaine' '"ring the 7fat8 stage of #$ life% (hile being an in'ivi'"al re#ains a pivotal aspect in so#eone+s life* being incl"'e' in a ho#ogeno"s gro"p that can tr"l$ "n'erstan' an' s"pport $o"r beliefs inf"ses life ith a greater sense of f"llness% All aspects of the fo"r i'entities le' #e to the cohesive 'riven in'ivi'"al that I a# to'a$% I have learne' to strive for greatness an' tirelessl$ p"rs"e #$ goals an' high e-pectations of #$self% 0$ long an' toilso#e path ta"ght #e that the onl$ thing that can hol' #e bac! is #$self%