tracy moore.

Back in December, I caught up and interviewed my dear friend for my ongoing personal project. He's one of my good friends who I've had the blessing of getting to know for the past 3-4 years. Tracy is such a great friend, and someone who I look up to a lot. He has a plethora of wisdom to share, and is one of the most patient, compassionate guys I know! 

For his interview, we talked inside Casa De La Luna in Downtown Bellflower, (the same place I interviewed Hilda). We found a pretty neat park right across from the library. :) 

By the way, he's super buff. Don't mess with him. (Kidding. Sort of).

Okay, without further ado!

"Not what I do, but who I am"

{Tracy Moore. 22. Older brother. Student. Personal Trainer.}

What got you into personal training? Or why do you want to do personal training?

T: A lot of it had to do with my college life, because I got into college really overweight and not really interested in fitness. Then, through various experiences, I guess talking to people in my dorm and meeting some people in the college ministry, I started wanting to play basketball and be healthier. I lost some weight and through that I found my passion for fitness, I guess.

Was there a certain point where you were like, “Man! This is what I want to do!”?

T: I had an epiphany over winter break of my second--no my third year, I think it was my third year--where I was like, “Man. I spend all my time reading fitness articles, I go to the gym 5 or 6 times a week, and anytime I get a chance, like whoever will listen, I talk to them about it, so I might as well," y’know. I think it’s pretty obvious that I like it. Y’know what I mean. So I figured that it’d be really cool to do as a job. It’s right at the same time that I had that epiphany that I had the other one that I realized I could graduate a year early. I thought about it and I figured it would make a lot more sense for me to graduate early and get my Sociology degree so I can move on to what I actually wanted to do.

How was it after you graduated early? Was it what you expected in terms of pursuing personal training?

T: It wasn’t as streamlined as I expected. There’s a lot of administrative stuff that went wrong with school that set me back than I would have originally liked. When I’d get set back, I’d be like, "Aw man, why’d I graduate a year early so I could sit here and like be taking four units at community college? What’s going on with my life right now?" But it all worked out in the end. Every now and then I’d be thinking if I did the right thing, if that was really God talking to me or was it just me being fed up with college, or being overambitious.

How did you get through that time then?

T: Uhm, gradually. I mean I think the good thing that right after I graduated, I think it was good for me to see how much of an impact we’d mutually had on each other’s lives. And a lot of my friends would reach out (to me), even though they were in college. Even when they wouldn't,  if I called them up or something, most of the time they’d make a little time to talk, and I think that helped a lot. Also it helped that I moved in with some guys I met during college, so it was a little better than moving in with three strangers.

How was transitioning from Irvine to LA, ‘cause that’s pretty different. 

T: I mean as far as the community goes, it was really hard for me going from Newsong, because that was the first church I would call home, y’know? Where I came to Christ, and went through Edge all three years of my college experience. Then I moved up to there (LA), and everyone was already established. Of course they welcomed me out to church and stuff like that, but it was kind of like looking all over again, but not. It wasn’t the same because no one else was looking with me, so it was a little more lonely. Natalie (his girlfriend) came with me sometimes -- that was nice. It was tempting to go back to Newsong, ‘cause one of my apartment mates drove back and forth, but I didn’t feel like that was healthy for me. I eventually found a church though, so I’m very happy where I’m at now.

What do you like to do?

T: I really like to play basketball and I enjoy taking care of kids and lifting weights. Reading about nutrition, and I don’t know, I really like being around people; I get a lot of energy from it. Like 99% of the time, so hanging out with people. And Natalie, I like hanging around Natalie; she’s pretty cool, I guess. 

Did you always like taking care of kids?

T: Yeah. I think that’s one thing that’s been constant throughout my life, is I feel that I’ve always been relatively gifted with—I don’t know what it is. I think I connect with kids pretty well. And as long as they don’t get terribly terrified of how tall I am, like right away, then it ends up being an asset. They think I’m a tree or something, and they try to climb on me, but—I think it’s always been something I’ve been passionate about.

Why?

T: Maybe because, part of it being that I was the oldest, and the way our family situation was, even though I have a twin brother, I was definitely the older brother. That’s just how it turned out. And my little brother’s like 12 years—12 or 13 years younger than me. I mean 12 ½. I’ve been taking care of him since he was an infant, so it kind of came naturally, I guess.

When did you start working more with kids?

T: When I got to UCI my first year, like winter time, a couple of my friends introduced me to the children’s ministry. I started there and then moved to the special needs children’s ministry, which is like the Autistic and Down-Syndrome and stuff like that, who just need a little more one-on-one care. And I did that for 2 years. 

What’s your greatest joy in like taking care of kids, or working with kids?

T: I think it reminds me that life isn’t such a big deal, ‘cause a lot of times, I feel that as we grow up the stakes get higher, y’know what I mean. Like if you see life as a ladder, or a set of stairs or something, when you fall off the lowest rung, it’s not a big deal; you just get back up. But like the higher up we climb, every time we make a mistake it hurts more. And so, when I hang out with kids it reminds me of that, y’know, even though we maybe think we’re climbing really high on the ladder, in all actuality, lots of stuff really doesn’t matter quite as much as where you’re at in the moment. Not saying you should y’know (motions jumping off) live life by the seat of your pants, or whatever, but y’know. But at the same time, some stuff that people see as a really big deal, I don’t think is worth stressing about. And kids remind me of that.

What are qualities people describe you as? Or are there any other qualities you would describe yourself as?

T: I would like to think they’d describe me as pretty easygoing. I think they’d probably describe me as pretty easygoing, and, I don’t know if lighthearted is an adjective, or whatever. ... I guess, relatively active. I don’t like to sit around and be stagnant; I like to be on the go. ... I’d like to think that I’m relatively empathetic. I have a tendency to think about things a little differently than other people. Not saying that’s necessarily a good thing; sometimes it makes things harder, but y’know, whatever. (laugh) Variety is the spice of life. ... I think I’m pretty weird, to be honest. But it hasn’t hampered my life too much thus far. (laugh)

Once your life is over, what is the legacy you want to leave? Like, Tracy Moore was _____.

T: If you looked at the big picture of my life after it was over, I’d like to think that people would see that you benefit a lot more from looking outward to other people than to always looking to fill your own needs first. I think a lot of the times in my life where I felt the most joy are not when I receive or obtain something tangible. A lot of times I feel the most joy is when I do somet—not even when I do something, but just seeing other people be happy, or like being part of a group; not necessarily the leader or the most spectacular one of the bunch or whatever, but just being part of something, I think that benefits other people. It’s like there’s something profound about experiencing joy through other people I don’t think you can really get any other way. Even if it’s something like doing your roommate’s dishes every once in awhile, or just calling to check up on a friend who’s going through a hard time, y'know. I think that type of stuff is invaluable.

Has there been one experience or one time when that was evident?

T: Yeah. I think leading small groups my third year was an example of that because I went into it thinking, “Okay. I’m gonna teach these guys,” and it’s like everyone goes into that thinking that way. And yeah you are gonna teach, well God-willing, hopefully teach them something good, but I had this huge plan, and for the first 3 or 4 weeks, it was like one guy would show up. And then me and my two cores, co-leaders, were kind of like, "Man, what’s going on?". But then after awhile, we realized that just because he was the only one didn’t mean we couldn’t be there for him. It ended up growing; we got 4 guys total throughout the year. But I think the thing that really showed me that God was involved with it was that nothing went according to my plan, but everything turned out way better than I expected. We stay in touch and one of the guys came and he and another guy accepted Christ earlier, and I think they all really found a place. None of them felt they had a place when they got there, but they all felt that at the end of the year they had at least somewhat of a family in the ministry and they grew a lot closer. 

What motivates you? Whether in life, or in pursuing your passions?

T: I think lately what’s been motivating me is how the Bible says we’re made in God’s image, and that’s something I took for granted until recently. When I think about it, if we’re made in God’s image, He gave us our purpose, and made us exactly how we are on purpose, then I would think that would mean we’re not destined for mediocrity, y’know what I mean. If we’re made in the image of the Almighty, what’s mediocre about that? And I think that motivates me a lot, like when I’m thinking, “Oh, I don’t think I can do x, y, or z thing,” it’s like, who cares if I can’t do one thing? There’s 10 other possibilities in something I can do an extraordinary job at. Really, the sky’s the limit. I think that’s been motivating me lately is knowing that I’m created for something specific. That I’m not meant to go half-way.

I've been thinking a lot about why my life isn't like someone else's, but something I feel like God has been revealing to me is: Don’t expect your life to be like someone else’s-- your life is original to who you are and of course it’s not going to look like the next person’s the way you think it should.

T: Yeah. I always tell myself that we don’t live life in comparison to other people, we just live life. Like, if someone that you know is making tons of money and you’re not, it doesn’t really make your life any worse, unless you let it. If you focus on that, stew over it and stuff, then it’ll make your life worse, but really it—it doesn’t effect you. You’re still doing what you’re doing, no matter how much money anyone else is making.

Who do you look up to?

T: There’s a lot of people I admire certain things about. I don’t know that I necessarily look up to a person. ... I really admire the fact that my dad got three of us through a lot of school, and then later he got married and ended up helping 5 of us continue on. I really admire that. And I actually had a cool opportunity to meet AC Green in the summer, and do some basketball camps as a coach for his foundation. I really admire his passion and his faith. I mean, because he won several championship rings, and he could be living really comfortably for the rest of his life not doing anything, but he puts on these free basketball camps for kids and he’s always there everyday; like first one there, last one to leave type of thing. I think he’s a real stand-up guy, I really admire his dedication to other people, even though it’d be so easy for him to just live his life apart from everyone else.

Who has shaped you into the person you are today?

T: If I had to pick one in particular, outside of my family, I’d probably say my freshmen small group leader Dean really helped shape me into who I am today. If you think about it, when you leave high school, everyone’s looking for "who they really are," or, soul searching, if you have to put it that way. Some people have a really good positive experience, and some people don’t. And I feel like Dean, whether he meant to or not, really showed me what it means to really, really reach out to somebody despite whatever might be going on. Like, I might not remember any of the Bible studies, or even church services from our freshman year, but the example that he showed us, like hanging out with us nearly every single day, having us over to his house--that kind of stuff spoke volumes to me because it showed how you really don’t need to have anything in return or do anything extravagant; sometimes it’s being there for somebody is all they really need. And I think that translated into a lot of areas in my life, including my own small group, I tried to be able to give them that same security.

What would you say is one of the biggest obstacles you’ve overcome, or struggles that you’ve had?
T: Without going into too much crazy whatever, I think a big obstacle has always been my family life. I mean it wasn’t the worst in the world, but we’ve definitely had our trying times, like a lot of families. I think because my dad and I had a weird relationship. Like when I was in my teenage years, we both were kind of really stubborn and I feel like I’m a completely different person than what I was back then. Some of it was my fault and some of it wasn’t, but it is what it is, I guess. But especially coming into college, I think my biggest thing was letting go of a lot of resentment and I guess ill feelings toward my dad and my stepmom. I think overcoming that and really coming to accept my part in it, and take responsibility for my hand and everything and really move past it and completely forgive all parties involved for everything. I think that was a big obstacle to me being who I am today.

How were you able to let go of the resentment?

T: Oh, some of it was with me taking ownership of the fact that I wasn’t always right, as opposed to what most teenagers think, that they’re always right and that their parents are evil, y’know. I think part of it was that, and part of it was realizing that my dad’s not perfect, and that he does the best he can, y’know. And some of it just had to do with my world view, too. My mom passed when I was little, so a lot of my idea of family was a little different from other people’s idea, and my experience is different. So, I think just realizing that and putting everything into perspective, and realizing how much I was blessed, really helped me to let go a lot of it. 

How was that for you, like trying to figure out your own identity aside from—apart from James?

T: It was easy, I think. I’m always one for trying new things, so when you throw me into a new environment, my natural tendency is to really to dive in head first and try to immerse myself in it, I guess. It was a struggle in high school, ‘cause it was trying to find a way to do that, but once I was put in the environment where it was possible, it was kind of natural, I guess. ... I think me and James having space from each other helped, too because since we shared a room for 18 years, it was like we were always, always, always together, Even though we roomed together in college, it was kind of like we grew into our separate circles of friends, or we were able to have our own identity and everyone I knew didn’t know James. And everyone James knew didn’t know me, and I think that was kind of refreshing. ... We’re still proud of the fact that we’re twins and everything like that, but at some point you can’t live your life in tandem; you have to split off and do your own thing. And I think that even helped us get a lot closer, even though it might seem kind of counterintuitive. 

Looking back on the past 22-or so years, what are some of the greatest things that you’ve learned? 

T: Uhm, I think I’ve learned a lot that a lot of times your perception of what’s going on can change your whole world. I think there’s some cliché or something that says life is 10% what happens to you, 90% how you deal with it, which I don’t know that I necessarily agree with,  but the principle of the way you look at things really changes your reality, I think is a really important lesson that I’ve learned. Because growing up, it was easy for me to play the victim, but nowadays I see it as if I hadn’t gone through a lot of those things that I did, especially as early as I did, then I wouldn’t be as strong as a person today and I wouldn’t have such clear convictions and views about certain things as I would if I’d lead an easy life, y’know. 

I think especially in  today’s world, I’ve also learned the small things are even more important. Like a handwritten thank you card is a lost art, and even though we have Facebook, Twitter, and all this stuff, I think it brings us to more surface level conversations and more shallow friendships. Not criticizing people who use Facebook and stuff like that; I use it too, but I think I’ve learned that especially with all these other distractions, the little things matter even—I’d argue even more-- than it used to in the old days. ... I think sometimes the little things, like noticing someone got a haircut, and telling them, “Oh, it looks really nice on you,” it’s stuff like that. It pays to be observant, I guess that’s what I’m trying to say.

What would you say is a motto that you live by?

T: I guess the principle I live by is that everyone deserves respect. I think everyone deserves at least a certain level of respect. My dad used to always tell me to respect everyone from the janitor to the President. Like you should respect everybody no matter who they are because for one thing, you don’t really know what they’ve been through, and their story, and the other thing, obviously, is you hope they do the same. But even if they don’t, I think it’s really important to show respect to people because I think it helps you have more of a positive outlook on life as well. Everyone has that one friend who tons of people are like, “Oh, they’re so annoying,” and you can jump on the bandwagon. Or, you can understand that maybe that person knows—that person who chews really loud, or who talks really really loud, they might know that they do that and they really struggle with it, and they know everyone doesn’t like it. And they’re trying to change, but they can’t. So you could either hop in their corner and just say something nice, or you can jump on the bandwagon and make fun of them. I don’t know. I prefer the prior.

I believe that every person has a story to tell about their life. What would you say is your’s?

T: From a spiritual aspect, I’d say my story is a story of God’s Providence and His—really His protection. Like if you see the sum total of my life experience, I think it’s really easy to see me going off in a bad direction, or ending up in a bad place, but I’ve been very blessed that I’ve been able to see it in a different light. Not by my own power, but I’ve had people there to show me that it’s not always as bad as it seems and there is hope; a light at the end of the tunnel. ... I think a lot of the time, I try to feel my way through, and by the grace of God it turns out in a positive light. A lot of things I’ll go into without being ready, or without really knowing what I’m doing, and I come out on the other end better than I ever expected.

Where do you hope to see yourself maybe a few years down the 
road?

T: Hopefully graduated from my master’s program. I’d like to be working as an athletic trainer, maybe for a college sports team. Maybe getting married and starting to like settle down a little bit, and really settle down into the rest of my life. It’s exciting to think of all the different possibilities.

Just for kicks, what’s a random fact about yourself?

T: Uhm, I was born a month pre-mature with underdeveloped lungs, so the doctor said I would have severe asthma for the rest of my life. And, I probably wouldn’t be able to do things like playing sports and stuff, but I took up the saxophone in the 6^th grade and I played basketball.

{Tracy Moore. A Reflection of God.}

{If you're interested in being interviewed for this project, contact me via my Facebook page! :) Or if I know you personally, just let me know!}