Visualization: A David and Goliath story

Everyone knows the saying "a picture is a thousand words". If a picture can say a thousand words, what about a movie. In an athletic leadership course I learned about confidence and visualization. At first, I thought it all sounded like a bunch of hog wash, but once we broke off into groups to talk about our own sports movies, I was able to relive and feel the emotion of my own story. Our own sports movie is a moment in our athletic careers where it felt like Remember the Titans or Miracle. It was our own story. Immediately I thought about my rock climbing competitions. My own David and Goliath moment.

 It was around my second year of competing in rock climbing competitions that I started to get really good. I come from a very small gym inside a YMCA. I took rock climbing classes just for fun and loved it so much that when they created the team, I was all for joining. I was an extremely small, skinny girl that people would normally never consider to be a rock climber, but for some strange reason, I had a natural ability to climb up a wall. Maybe it was because I weighed near nothing so I did have to hold up much body weight or maybe it was my pure love of the sport. Whichever it was, I did pretty well during that competition season. It was regionals and all the top gyms and top climbers were competing for the medals. And when i saw tool gyms, I mean the big climbing gyms from around the area where their team members train everyday in amazing gyms with endless resources. Compare them to my YMCA gym, and you will laugh. It was an on-site competition format which is where we get three climbs and a certain amount of point for how far we get up each climb. The first one is usually set easier and the last two very hard. For some reason, no one could get the second route. Climber after climber would fall and then it was my turn. When i started climbing, everything around me was mute. all I could see and all I thought of was the top. I got to the point where everyone was falling and speed through it with no trouble and reached the top of the climb. It was a piece of cake. I finally get out of my zone at the top and can hear my team and coaches cheering as I'm lowered. It turns out, that I was the only one to finish the climb which ultimately gave me the points to be New England North Champion. The best part was the reaction from all the other fancy gyms coaches and climbers who were just beaten by the underdog. The small girl from the YMCA. 

It was  the best moments in my rock climbing career. Endless emotions and endless confidence run through me as I look back at that competition. The keyword being confidence. Every time after when i second guessed myself or thought failure was inevitable, I thought back to my David and Goliath story. It motivated me and drove me to be successful and strive for my goals no matter how many holds or  obstacles were in my way to achieving them. All of this and more comes to my mind after visualizing. My own personal movie is a motivator and motivates me every time I step on a field or start climbing in a competition. It's the confidence that emerges from reliving your movie that creates a success. Visualizing enables the ability to have a sequel to your already amazing movie.

The Top of a President

Let's be honest. Eisenhower was a bad ass president. From preemptive strike to mutual destruction in his politics, the man was not one to be underestimated or overlooked. His mountain perfectly resembles his presidency. The top of Mt. Eisenhower in the White Mountain Presidential Range is one of the greatest places in the entire world. It's one of the hardest to summit in the Presidential Range with one of the most vertical inclines for the last 100 feet to the top. Even with its difficulty, once at the top, it is one of the most incredible views in the White Mountain Range. The trip getting you there may not be an easy one, but that's what makes the summit all the better. Your sweat and energy push you up the steep incline to ascend to the the silver circle at the summit. The altitude gives you air comfortingly cold after the difficult ascent. Whenever I take a breath, all I think is that this must be the freshest and most gratifying air to ever fill my lungs. As you look around, all you see is blue and green mountains surrounding you from every angle and capturing your attention and awe like no other. Seeing deceased President Eisenhower would most likely have the same effect. 

A Book and a Human

"we are just like books because we have spines and stories to tell"

Some people have stories of romance emanating the captivating love of Jane Austen novels or the John Green star-crossed lovers. Some are Stephen Kings showing their imaginations through horror and thrill. Others are historical narratives who channel the stories of past lives while many others are just everyday fictional stories of adversary, adventure, heroism, or plain stupidity. Whichever it may be, we are all books. We have stories to tell and the spines that hold and keep them together in our human bodies that move towards experiences.

A Greater Happiness

"Get to the deeper business of being beautiful inside"

Alex Preston performing Fairy Tales

Quote of the Day: 1/29/13

"Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is."

 ~ Mark Twain

Why not take a risk? Why not experience something new? Fear isn't a sufficient enough excuse for backing out and playing it safe. Fear shouldn't drive our actions, curiosity should. Life is full of opportunities so why are we so scared to reach out and attempt to obtain them? We are too worried about failure, embarrassment, and way too conscientious of the negatives of the unknown. The unknown shouldn't have a negative connotation but a positive one that our emotional limbic brain strives to see. 

Quote of the Day: 1/28/13

                         "climb the mountain so you can see the world, not so the world can see you"

Passion

It is more than just enthusiasm or excitement, passion is ambition that is materialized into action to put as much heart, mind, body and soul into something as is possible

Empty Hands

Coming back from a shopping trip with nothing in your hands is, as all women agree even if they want to deny it, depressing. A female loves sprucing up her wardrobe by going to the outlets and seeing what fashion upgrade she will invest in for the New Year. Its New Years Eve day, the outlets were at their prime with all of “trying to get rid of” holiday season sales, and yet, many walk out empty handed. Maybe it was the freezing weather outside that has tempered with our ability to agree to spend our christmas money or maybe it’s the thought of not wanting to spend it on not just anything but the perfect something. We want that Christmas gift of shopping money to be spent the right way. But, then we keep telling ourselves this reasoning of spending it on the perfect piece of clothing or jewelry or shoes week after week, month after month. It has come to the point that when I look through my wallet, I can find at least 2 gift cards that are 5 months old. We continue with this self depressing feel when we look down at our empty hands and fully loaded gift cards even though we have a build up of unused gift cards hanging in the purse wrapped around our shoulders. It is our fear of dissatisfaction in their use that stops the process. Our inner conscience is saying “no, I can do better” when actually, sometimes we can’t. Sometimes we just need to learn to settle or our purses will become overloaded with those thin rectangles full of regret.