1998 vs 2017.

Wow.

The photo on the left was taken of me in 1998 about a year after I got out of the Marine Corps. I was working for Compaq at the time as a technical trainer travelling around the country. I was in Chicago on business and stopped in to visit my aunt and my cousin when we took the photo on the left. It is one of the earliest photos I have of me at a heavier weight without a beard.

Fast forward to 2017, and I now weigh less than I did when I left the Marines and I’m in the best shape of my life since going to boot camp. I have less hair now, and it’s turned a bit gray on the lower sides, but in every other way, I look much healthier. I didn’t say thinner because that’s not the point.

I’m happiest most with my transformation from someone who was living an unhealthy and unfit lifestyle to someone who is healthy and fit. I don’t know if there’s any way to quantify adding years to my life, but in all honesty, the quality of my life has improved so much that even if I still have the same number of years left, at least they will be active, comfortable, and healthy years. It’s worth the effort.