Feature Friday: Chris Tracy

Today we get to meet Chris Tracy. He’s a world traveler, degree junkie, fitness enthusiast, foodie, author and blogger. Originally from a very small town (i can call an island that, right?), but with a personality larger than life, Chris sets goals for himself and achieves them with style. He’s interesting, entertaining, fun and friendly. Most people are privileged to call him their friend, but I have the honor of calling him my brother.

Recently Chris achieved a goal of becoming a personal trainer. He’s had many dreams and goals throughout his life and today we get to learn what some of the secrets to his success are.

Hello, Chris. Thank you for participating in my feature series. Looking back on your life and trying to find one particular thing to interview you about has been hard. You’ve accomplished so many things and are one of my heroes. What do you feel has been the biggest accomplishment in your life?

Not letting my fears and insecurities stop me from enjoying my life and accomplishing my dreams. no it hasn’t gone smoothly, but with each hurdle i’ve learned and grown.

Earlier this year you graduated with a Master’s from the University of Sheffield in England. What made you decide you wanted to go to school in England? Why that school? 

when i lived in miami, i got so sick of some things there that i just wanted to get away. one day when i was talking to mom, i opened my mailbox and found a postcard from nyu about studying abroad. since i don’t believe in chance, i took it as a sign and went and talked to the people at fiu about studying abroad. since my degree was in english i figured it would be only logical to go to england for my semester abroad. i was really lucky to be even able to do it because normally you can’t when you have less than 30 credits left and i was going for my final semester. i assume it was because i only had electives left. anyway. interestingly, the only option for england was the university of hull, which i had requested information from some few years prior before going to fiu. i loved my time in england and felt that if i were to get an MA that i should do it in england. so i did. the university of sheffield is a really good school and they let me on to the program that i chose. i had the option of going to cardiff university, but they changed my degree program. at first it seemed nice of them so i could be accepted, but after checking out the program i discovered that it wasn’t taking me the direction i actually wanted.

Out of all the dream jobs you had growing up (chef, marine biologist, actor, broadway actor, singer), what made you decide on a journalism degree?

haha i also wanted to be a baseball player or a cowboy. on my mission, i rediscovered my knack for creativity. i thought it was nice, but never really thought of it as anything serious until i was at fiu and marine biology wasn’t working out. as you know, i love books so the change seemed natural and my grades were much better. the path to journalism came as most things in my life, quite by accident. i never planned on going into journalism, but the opportunity fell into my lap and i took it. journalism is brilliant because it gives you the opportunity to write on a multitude of topics and in different writing styles.

Before you even had your degree you published a book. How did it make you feel to get your first book published? Was the whole process worth it to you and do you have plans for another book? 

it was an amazing feeling. it took an eternity, but to hold the final product in your hands made it all worth it. i learned so much with that first book about writing, creation, story/character development, publishing, etc. i’ve been working on the sequel to my first book, but life has made it difficult to sit down and devote the time i need. i just need to force myself to sit down, which is also challenging haha

One of your passions is personal fitness. What got you into that?

I can’t rightly remember, but I’m sure it was for some superficial reason. What I remember is that I wanted to look better. You remember that as a kid and teenager, I always had body image issues. I was always worried to take off my shirt because I felt uncomfortable about the way my body looked and what other people would think of me. So when I was 24 (early 2007), I set out to change that. At first it was a casual pastime, but I quickly got very serious about it. Especially when mom told me that diabetes ran in our family. Now it has become a lifestyle. It isn’t easy to keep up with at times, but it is a part of me now.

When did you decide you wanted to become a personal trainer?

Haha well I never really thought about it much. It was friends of mine who encouraged me to pursue it. It didn’t take much thinking to realize it was a logical choice. For the last year I had been working out with my friend Greg and it was like we were training each other. It felt natural. So with all my past experiences in the gym and the pushing from my friends, I got my certification.

Along with being a personal trainer and writer, you are also a travel blogger. Where all have you been and what was your favorite place? Do you have future travel plans? 

i’ve been to cancun, cayman islands, jamaica, germany, england, scotland, denmark, sweden, france, switzerland, spain, italy, israel, thailand, cambodia, and i’ve been sort of in the netherlands and belgium. i love barcelona, tel aviv, germany, england, it’s really hard to pick one place because so many places resonate with me. as for future travel plans, i would love to get to australia 🙂

Taking a turn to the personal, how would you describe your personality? Some might say you’re a little crazy, but how do you view yourself?

haha i am largely extroverted. i am adventurous, emotional, stubborn, crazy, ambitious, and so forth. my personality is fluid like water (but not bipolar). But I am not without my introverted moments. When I am alone in a group and I don’t know anyone, I will be very shy until people start talking to me.

You’ve done so much in your life: moved around, gotten your Master’s, traveled to many countries, lived in England, published a book, written a blog. I’m sure you’ve had moments of self-doubt. How do you get through it? What is your advice for others who feel that way? 

sometimes you have to take a step back and reevaluate your life. why do you feel the way you do? everyone feels doubt and struggles, but the cause can be a multitude of reasons. locate that reason and resolve it. if you feel overwhelmed, take a break (even if that means a couple days, hours, weeks, etc.). if you think your work sucks, take a break. have a trusted person critique it, then get back to work. the things we want the most will never be the easiest. anything of worth requires hard work, which will be riddled with moments of self doubt, depression, joy, satisfaction, etc. once you understand that, it’ll be slightly easier to keep moving forward. also create small goals or deadlines.

Last year you wrote a post about your journey accepting yourself as bi. Was it hard for you to come out? Did you worry about how people may treat you?

haha of course. people can be mean and hateful. i experienced backstabbing from people i thought were my friends growing up before i fully comprehended who i even was. now i don’t care. At least I say I do. those that matter will love me regardless and those that don’t don’t matter. so far people have been great. i’ve also distanced myself from religious people as they have been the main cause for my unhappiness. no it isn’t fair blaming them for determining my happiness, but that is reality. the non-, less-, inactive, and truly Christ-like people have been the best. they have cared about me and my happiness, which is what matters. it’s been a long time getting to this point, but i have never been happier. No, life is not perfect, but i feel my life is where it is supposed to be at this time.

I stated earlier that you are on of my heroes. That makes me curious who your heroes are.  Who do you admire and look up to?

i really don’t know. there’s really only been one person i’ve ever cared about meeting and that was gordon b. hinckley. otherwise, i don’t recall ever really having anyone i admired or looked up to. love and feel bonded to, yes. i never really looked up to anyone because no one is perfect. we are all just moving to our own beats trying to be the best we can be. i more admire the qualities of a person rather than the person themself. haha this is a challenging question. Although, I do look up to people who overcome enormous obstacles, such as physical handicaps. Like Oscar Pistorius. Regardless of what has happened to him over the last year or so, he is an inspiration. Those kinds of people are people I admire. People who struggle and overcome.

Last question. Now that you’ve achieved your goal of becoming a personal trainer, what’s next for you?

Hahaha I wish I knew. Life has a funny way of never going the way I want it to. But who knows. Maybe this time I’ll have the chance to experience what it’s like to live somewhere for a long time, have a career, a long-term relationship, a real life. But I’ll just have to take it step by step. First things first, I shall try for the career 😉

Where to find Chris:

• Website – From the Mind of C.E. Tracy and C.E. Tracy (his book site)
• Twitter – @cetracy29 (personal) and @thenakdnovelist (personal trainer)