Every Life Matters Q&A - Nikki Dastrup

I'm so excited for the second E.L.M. Q&A!!! When I first came up with the idea to do the Every Life Matters Q&A on the blog I was trying to think of people who would be great to have involved. And one of the first names that popped into my head was Nikki! I have known Nikki for so long! We are both Panguitch girls!!! I didn't really know her all that well because we were a few years apart in school but in a small town you know everyone. When I was a senior in high school Nikki was a freshman and we were on drill team together. That is when I first got to know of her fun personality. But it was years later that I got to know how truly AMAZING she is! When I lived in Cedar I was blessed to experience the awesomeness that is Operation Tonergy! And I got to reconnect with and better know the AMAZING Nikki!!! She was always so supportive and positive and just plain RAD! I can honestly say that Nikki played a role in the beginning stages of my personal journey changing direction and heading toward a brighter happier destination. I love this chick and I know that you will understand why after you read her Q&A! So... Get ready for some crazy amounts of inspiration and motivation. This is Nikki...

Tell us a bit about yourself. 

I'm 28 years old. Pure optimist. Fitness enthusiast. Positivity junkie. Extrovert and social butterfly. I may be the happiest person you'll ever meet in your lifetime! I'm a mother to two perfect little boys and a lover to a perfect man. My mom is my best friend. Family is my number one. I live in the moment, always trusting the process. I always find the best in everyone and everything. My main goal in life is to make this world a happier place full of happier people by teaching people their true value and help them learn to love themselves for who they are regardless of life's simple setbacks. Those reasons exactly are why I founded Operation Tonergy Group Training. I've experience so much for such a young age, but I truly feel like it's all been part of my path to be able to help people around me. I love people. I'm motivated and I NEVER give up on anything. I LOVE LIFE, I truly honestly from the bottom of my heart do. I wake up excited every single day awaiting my destiny!

Who matters to you? 

Everyone matters to me! My sweet children make me strive to want to be the greatest person in this world and set an example for them. My amazing boyfriend makes me feel loved and flawless regardless of my imperfections. My mother has been my rock for my entire life and has always pursued me to reach for the stars. My clients give me hope for the world I dream of creating!

How do they show you that you matter to them?

I kind of answered that above, but honestly they show me that I matter to them by loving me unconditionally for the person I am. I have learned that the people that TRULY love me would never want to change a thing about me. I make sure to keep those people closer to my heart :) 

Tell us about a time in your life when someone made you feel like you mattered. 

Oh wow, I feel so blessed because trying to think of just one time is almost overwhelming! The one time that will stick with me until the day I die and probably follow me into heaven is the very first day I had a Tonergy class. I had just been through hell and wasn't quite back yet. I honestly didn't think there was a soul out there that would support anything that had to do with me ... but there were 4 women (and my mom) that showed up. Those women will never know how much that moment meant to me. Because of them I felt like I had a second chance at life. Because of them I knew that something I did mattered. And because of them, I knew that my life had a purpose.

Tell us about a time in your life when you haven't felt like you mattered. 

If I could just reference MY BLOG here then that would be completely appropriate. If you know me, then looking at me now you would never guess that there was a time or two in my life when I honestly thought that death was the only way out. My first marriage was a very abusive marriage, to say the least. Mentally, physically, and emotionally. Throughout that entire relationship I was made to feel that I truly was the epitome of the earth and I didn't deserve anything but the worst. 

How did you overcome that? 

Once again I'll reference my blog... My mom and dad helped me let go of the fear of leaving him. I still suffer from insecurities due to that marriage today. Actually, I blame most of my insecurities on that marriage. I work day in and day out on learning to love myself with positive affirmations, gratitude lists, prayer, writing a journal, giving back to the world around me and other tools I've learned throughout the years. I believe that we never actually "overcome" things, but instead that we have to work through them every single second of every single day of our lives. I choose to use positive reinforcements and God as my number one tools :) 

When you made the decision to start Tonergy what helped you to have courage to take that chance? 

God! And my mom :) Most likely it was God working through my mom. I was living in a pain filled world of regret completely numb with depression at the time. My mom believed in me and urged me to do something with my life, something that I was passion about. Honestly, I was scared out of my mind that it wasn't going to work, but God had bigger plans for me :) 

What has that decision done for your life? 

Starting Tonergy saved my life. And I don't say that absentmindedly. I cannot even begin to explain what I was facing at the time I started Tonergy. I felt worthless. I felt bitter. I felt hated. I felt like life wasn't worth living. I honestly had nothing to live for ... or so I had thought. I was in the ultimate depths of the world and I had no idea how to climb out of it. Tonergy made me believe in myself again. Tonergy showed me that I had a place in this world. Tonergy showed me that I could use all of the life experience I have by helping people with the same challenges that I was dealing with. Tonergy made me feel alive again at a time when I truly thought I would be better off dead. Tonergy has made me thrive and has shown me the value of my life in giving back to the people that I am so blessed to work with. I truly believe that Tonergy is a God thing and it was God's way of showing me the light.

Why does it matter to you to help those who come to Tonergy?

I feel like Tonergy is my way of giving back to the world what God gave to me. Let me tell you a little secret about Tonergy ... In case I forgot to mention above, I am a recovering addict. When I was in treatment I learned so many tools that help me stay clean every single day of my life. As I was working on my 3rd Step in the 12 Step Recovery Program I honestly felt closer to God then I ever have in my entire life. One day I had an "Aha!" moment and realized that all of the tools I was learning were all of the tools that are needed to live a happy, successful, positive life!! Call me crazy but I really feel like God threw this idea into my heart one day ... I think He did that and is using me to show people how to be healthy in all aspects of life ... mentally, physically, emotionally AND spiritually. I fall in love with everyone I get blessed to work with. Their pain is my pain and their achievements are my achievements. I really just want to show people how simple it is to live a happy healthy life, even if there have been times that we have been miserable or felt dead, there is always a second chance to be able to work through the pain and suffering and create the life you've always dreamed of having!! I KNOW it's possible, because I've done it :) I do it because 1.) I love it, and 2.) I owe it to God!

If you could give one message to those reading this, what would it be?

Trust the process, and enjoy every single step of the journey! This is my life motto :) This is something I learned from my recovery counselor and she embedded it into my mind day in and day out. I am a firm believer in God, I know not everyone believes in God and that is totally okay, I truly believe from the bottom of my heart that whatever I go through in life, He has chosen that path for me for a reason ... yes, even the super hard stuff I don't think I'll ever survive! No matter what, there is always something positive that can come out of everything - even the most heart wrenching things. It seems like in my life, the harder the trial was, the more I learned and the more I've been able to give back to the world because of. I'm not gonna say that life is easy, life is hard as hell, BUT we do have the power to make our lives what we want them to be. We get the choice every day to be happy or miserable - it's a simple matter of saying to yourself every single day as you roll out bed "Just for today, I will be happy"! Simply put, life is too damn short to spend every single day worrying, stressing, being miserable, hurting, resenting others, holding on to pain ... LET IT GO!! I am probably the happiest person you'll ever meet in this entire world because I don't let things get to me. I trust in God so much that I know that if something is difficult in my day, that He is putting that moment in my life for a reason - and whatever that reason is, it's a reason that will benefit me in the long run! Live positive, believe in yourself, never stop smiling, and give back to the world around you <3 Life is an amazing opportunity - if you allow it to be :) 

Loves, Nikki, xoxoxo