"Now, I'm Happy !"
Being Jody
Marsha , Chief Excitement Officer | September 10, 2017
Do you know Jody? Or do you THINK you know Jody?
Buckle up and come with me to a filter free zone of realness. In today's world, with so many people still shying away from being unapologetically themselves...Jody-Ann Byfield says cut the b/s and just be happy.
M: Tell us about Jody.
Jody: I was born in Jamaica... Spanish Town rock. I went to St Catherine Primary, then passed the Common Entrance Examination (yes I'm old) for Immaculate but chose St. Jago High School instead.
Why? Because white uniforms and waking up early was a NO.
I'm the youngest child for my mom, a retired teacher one of the few who I can say truly loved her job. My dad is an Entrepreneur, he owned a successful company for 34yrs making combat and leather boots.
I, on the other hand, have a BSC in Computer Studies major in programming, minor in networking, yes I'm a nerd... But ain't tell anyone.
"Now, I am happy!"
M: How would your friends describe you?
Jody: Oh Jesus my friends would describe me as crazy, loud, loyal, foul-mouthed, a hard worker, intelligent, few have called me a genius. God sent... Lol joking, they would describe me as one of a kind. I'm the friend they never had before and are glad they have I would hope.... I am pretty (bleep) awesome *horn toot*
M: I may have stumbled on your Instagram account when your love for yoga was just blossoming. Who or what brought Yoga to your life?
Jody: I blame (thank) Peter Ivey of The Reggae Chefs for that. I've known him since I was six. He would always run me off the phone for about 2 hrs cause he just haddddd to do his yoga so the nerd in me googled and read all I could about it. Then, I went to Texas and ate every single cow in sight.
"I got fat, and I detest gyms, I hate being watched as I work out, so I grabbed a towel and did my first practice ever ..."
That was about 4 yrs ago, it lasted 30mins and I damn near died, but once I was finished I felt really great... Been practicing every day since then.
M: And now you're teaching Yoga? Was this the evolution you had in mind for your practice?
Jody: TEACHING???.... Me??? Oh God no, I never in any lifetime would have seen myself teaching. I have zero patience and I get annoyed by people who half ass things...so I knew it wouldn't have been for me. Life, however, has taught me, that what you want to do in this life.. Or better yet what you think you should be doing and what you need to be doing are rarely ever the same thing. Plus, it actually makes me happy.
M: You come off as being real and raw, a rare combination in today's society. What would you say are the pitfalls of being this way.
Jody: Hahahahahaha I thought real and raw walked hand in hand lol. It has had its downfalls, this mouth, and mind and verbal diarrhea of mine.
Jody: Those who know me know my heart is in the right place when I speak. It may be seen as cruel. I have been called cruel and crude more times than I care for, even though eventually these same people end up saying they appreciate me being this "real". It's all about being honest and true. I don't know how to be anything else.
I'm just being Jody... being Jody has cost me a few jobs too.
Why do I need to get to work on time if I get all the job done when I get there... Being on time baffles me...lol
Being "real and raw" does have its benefits. I end up with real and raw friends, people rarely bullshit me, they're super comfortable being themselves because being real comes with zero judgments to others. I have zero regrets, I trust myself. One of the best feelings ever is saying exactly how I felt with complete honesty and not once questioning if I did the right thing.
M: Makes perfect sense. Finally, Jody, our Team Me campaign looks at how individuals show up for themselves in the big and small areas of their lives. How do you practice #TeamMe in your daily life?
Jody: Oh wow, there is only one area in my life that I ever show up for daily, consistently and with a lot of mental and emotional hard work and I always will, and that's my happiness.
People say all the time, only you control your happiness or only you control what happens in your life... The former is true, the latter is bullshit. I don't control what happens to me, I control is how it affects me. And my happiness is the measuring stick that I use to decide how things and people and words affect me.
I found my happiness in myself a few years ago after a complete annihilation of my heart, I literally just got up one day after being broken for months and said (bleep) this shit, life is too short and too beautiful.
I was losing loved ones to more permanent and uncontrollable states of life, and I was just unhappy and angry. Now I actually choose to enjoy the moments I have with the people I love and when those moments end, keep enjoying the memories of those great moments. My happiness never comes at the cost of someone else's happiness, and NO ONE's happiness will ever come at the expense of mine. I will be Team happy (bleep) Jody every single day, because it's all I have really, my happiness. #teamme #teamhappyjody.
I babble I know.. But I do say singe cool shit lol.
Follow Jody's realness (with caution lmao) and Yoga practice on the gram @jody4president