While – of course - I’m a huge fan of the music, 30 Seconds to Mars didn’t really change my life until I had the opportunity to see them live. When I found out I would be meeting Jared, Shannon, and Tomo (okay, I paid for a VIP ticket to guarantee I would meet them), I resolved that I wanted to look and feel my best for them. These guys pour their hearts and souls into their art, and they have always been so kind and generous to their fans, it was only fair that I give them my best too.
Through the eight weeks leading up to the NYC concert (and I later added tickets to the Montclair, New Jersey show), I kicked my regimen of diet and exercise into high gear. For 12-15 hours every week, with a 30 Seconds to Mars playlist always blaring in my ears for motivation, I beat the hell out of myself at the gym. I managed to lose 20 of the 30 pounds I needed to get down to my ideal weight range. My blood pressure lowered into a healthy range too - not an easy thing to do with the kind of daily stress I deal with both at work and at home. I have also struggled with depression since I was a kid, and the combination of exercise-induced endorphins and the excitement of meeting the guys helped put that in check too. For the first time in about a decade, I felt good.
It only got better when I got to New York and New Jersey: the awesome experience of seeing 30 Seconds to Mars play live, the incredible opportunity to meet them in person (a few times – each time more wonderful and memorable than the last), and maybe the best part of all, being introduced to the community (the cult!) of the Echelon. I formed an instant bond with the people I met in New York and New Jersey; these people shared a mutual respect and admiration for 30 Seconds to Mars and their music, and I found myself suddenly rooted in a kind of family. I’m now connected to people all over the country – all over the world, actually – because of 30 Seconds to Mars. For that, I am eternally grateful. In a few weeks, I’ll be attending another concert, and while of course I can’t wait to see the guys again, or hear them play, I’m amazed at how excited I am (especially considering how unbelievably shy I am!) to reunite with other members of the Echelon.
To top it off, my concert-going experience triggered a kind of “enlightenment” for me. I have never been so sure of what I want in life, so determined to live my dreams. I have set aside fear and self-consciousness; I have fully embraced the spirit of provehito in altum (the phrase had the honor of being my first 30 Seconds to Mars tattoo – it won’t be the last, either) and carpe diem/carpe noctem. And while the entire This is War album could be said to represent how I feel, my anthem right now is more likely “The Kill”, because “this is who I really am” and I have never been happier or more proud to fight for it and to make the changes in my life that will allow me to be whom I want to be. Thank you, 30 Seconds to Mars. We love you too. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment