I'm no therapist. Butttt....

Let me be as honest as I can when I say this: change does not care about your intention. It does not care that you said you were going to do it. It does not care about your vision board, your January 1st New Years Resolution, or the umpteenth time you have told your love ones "this time is different."

Change only moves when YOU want to move. Not because someone told you to, not because you're embarrassed by your circumstances, not because you feel like you're supposed to want it. But because something inside you actually decided IT WAS TIME FOR YOU TO MAKE THAT MOVE.

I'm no therapist. I want to be clear about that. However, I have lived through enough transformations. My transformations weren't glitz, glamor, rainbow and sunshines. They were raw and uncomfortable. It was me learning the difference between wanting to change, and wanting to have already changed.

Those are two very different things.

Wanting to have already changed sounds like:

"I just wish my skin would clear up."

"I really need to start working out."

"One day I'm going to get my life together."

Wanting to change is silent but loud in your actions. It looks like doing the thing even when its unconventional to the world, but makes perfect sense to you. It looks like showing up for yourself and your goals when you're not receiving the applause from the world.

I see this show up in the wellness space all the time. People come to me wanting clear skin, wanting to feel better in their body, wanting more energy - and those desires are real and valid. However, what I have noticed is that what they actually want-- is the result but not the relationship.

What do I mean by that?

What I mean is that people have an attachment to the results and not the path that it takes to get there. It's classic tale of you giving little to no effort and expecting grand results. You want clear skin, and a healthy body--meanwhile you constantly disrespect the body you've been blessed with. Please tell me how that works?

I caught the bus everyday beginning at 4:10 A.M. from SouthBay to Santa Monica more mornings than I can count. I didn't do it because it was easy. I did it because I had decided I no longer wanted to be in the space of wishing and hoping for a change. It wasn't performative change, but the change where my excuses got quieter and the reasons got louder.

Here's the thing--I get it. Life is full. Discipline is hard. Consistency feels impossible some days. I'm not here to shame anyone for being human.

But...

What I am here to tell you is -- the most powerful thing you can do before you book a service, start a program, or make any kind of investment in yourself is ask one honest question:

Do I truly desire this, or am I merely interested in the idea of wanting it?

Whole care, like what we offer at Elevate Skin & Body, is most effective when you arrive prepared. NOT PERFECT. NOT HAVING IT ALL FIGURED OUT. JUST PREPARED. There's a distinction between someone who arrives with hope and someone who is optimistic and dedicated.

If you're reading this and something resonated—GREAT. Take a moment to reflect on it. Pose the honest question to yourself. And when you're ready—not when it's convenient, not when everything falls into place, but when you're truly ready (ONLY YOU WILL KNOW WHEN THAT IS)—we'll be here.

That's when the real work gets to begin.

---Amber, Founder of Elevate Skin & Body

Whole Care for Whole People