Living the Active Lifestyle: What Keeps Me Going

Earlier this year, I decided to live a more active lifestyle. The motivation? A shirt. Not just any shirt, but one that I bought more than a decade ago, and I wanted to fit into it for the Lady Gaga Mayhem Promo Tour in Singapore last May. And yes, I did it. I wore that shirt proudly, and it felt like a personal victory.

After the concert, I thought my job was done. I took a break because, in my head, the goal was achieved. I got skinny enough to wear the shirt. But then something unexpected happened. People around me began to notice the changes.

“Wow, you’re skinnier.”

“You look healthier now.”

“You look so much fitter.”

At first, I brushed it off. But then I realized these little words were fueling me more than I thought. They became my motivation to keep going. It felt like all those hours at the gym and the effort I put into being consistent weren’t wasted. There were results even if I couldn’t see them myself.

That’s the funny thing about progress. We see ourselves every day, so changes often go unnoticed. Unless it’s something drastic like going bald, getting a nose job, or bleaching your eyebrows, it’s hard to recognize subtle transformations. But when others point it out, it clicks: the work is paying off.

Now I finally understand why people take progress photos. It’s not about vanity; it’s about motivation. When you don’t notice the little changes in the mirror, those photos (and even small comments from people) remind you how far you’ve come. And that reminder can be the very thing that pushes you to keep going.