Crazy Enough To Succeed + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Someone has said that "you should aim so high that others will think you're crazy." That describes my friend, Lei, exactly. I think back through our 15+ year friendship and she was just like me in so many ways. We both liked to go to the gym and work out. She ran, I biked, and we both liked to hike. And so it was, until she decided that being status quo wasn't enough for her. She wanted to create something more than the fitness she had already achieved. Mind you, if 80% of women had achieved what Lei had already achieved, they would be very happy. But Lei is different, she wanted to be part of the top 2%.  And so with trainers who saw her drive and potential, she set out to do just that! There were plenty of doubters around, those who thought she was absolutely nuts and narcissistic to go to the gym for periods of 3 hours a day at times.  But those labels would be wrong--she is a driven perfectionist and she shattered the glass ceiling that says women, let alone women over 50, shouldn't presume to achieve such a toned and sculpted body and then compete with it. And why not? Men do it and it is admired. Why shouldn't women do it too?  Of course we have seen a huge surge in female body building and figure competing especially within the last 5 years or so, thanks to gals like Lei.

Image: Alex Barnedt

Now we're on the other side of the 5 years when she first started her journey and has since achieved some amazing things. Her last competition was at FitCon in Utah in April 2017. She placed 1st in Masters, 2nd in Open, and even more impressive, became Nationally Qualified for the 2nd time! Do you think you've got what it takes to become a Nationally Qualified Figure Competitor? Read Lei's story Part I and Part II to see exactly how she got where she is today.

With these impressive qualifications behind her, she is now more than qualified to teach others the formulas to her success and now takes a limited number of clients. I enlisted her nutritional knowledge and she gave me a great paleo high protein meal plan to help me lose a really tough couple of pounds!

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But that is only one dimension of multi-faceted Lei. She was born in Hawaii and with a name like Lei, it seems like destiny that she would indeed own her own lei business called 'Lei Of Aloha.' She is skilled at making a variety of different kinds of leis for all occasions. They are keepsakes for the lucky recipient. She will be traveling to many different trade shows during the coming year, but she also takes special orders. She is as driven with her lei business as she is with her figure competing. It's just who she is. Contact her on Instagram and receive a 15% discount when you mention A GAL NEEDS...

Not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur. It takes incredible drive and willpower and an innate belief in yourself that will drown out the ever-present naysayers. But I'm happy to say that I know one, and she is a steel magnolia who just happens to make leis out of them too!

 Today is "My Post Monday!" It's all about original content from bloggers who care to share what is on their minds--from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)