I COOK!!

Day 7

I do a lot of things well. I'm sure there are a few things that I don't do very well but I can't think of them at the moment. For years though, I thought that I couldn't cook. I don't know where I got the notion from...perhaps I thought cooking was a hereditary skill so I had no chance, or maybe I thought people who cooked had to also clean...whatever the case, I just didn't really see a real need for me to be in the kitchen. I always hoped that I'd marry a man who loved to cook or eat out all the time--otherwise we'd be in trouble.

Lately though, I'm finding that I like being in the kitchen. I like making things and having people enjoy it. Of course, it's still a bit nerve-racking because not everything in my arsenal is a surefire hit, but I definitely find myself having more hits than misses. I know I'm no Paula Deen or Wolfgang, but it's a nice feeling to know people aren't secretly feeding the dog when you offer them something you've made.

The crazy thing is though, I have the aura of a non-cooking person. There is something about me...the way I talk...the way I look....the way I eat...whatever it is, that says there's no way I know how to make anything worth eating. My friends constantly act surprised and check the trash for hidden takeout trays if they taste something they actually like. So I take that as a personal challenge. I've decided I want to have regular dinner parties and get togethers where I'm the hostess with the mostess. Right now though, my surefire hits don't make up that long of a list. But I am open to ideas and recipes so please feel free to share your own hits. (with step by step directions if at all possible.) And if you've had the pleasure of not getting food poisoning after eating something I've cooked, speak up! This is a great resume builder skill I've heard. :)

My Last Set of Goals

Day 6

It doesn't seem like too many people are interested in my goal setting, but that's ok. I guess that's why they're mine in the first place. :)

My last category of goals deals with how I can do better with the people in my life. When my best friend first asked me what kind of relationship-related goals I wanted to make for 2011, I quickly responded FIND A HUSBAND! And as much as I was kidding...I wasn't totally kidding. She reminded me that I don't really have any control over that, that it's all in God's perfect timing and blah, blah, blah. And I get it, really I do. So we decided on a compromise...

RELATIONSHIP GOALS

Ask God to continue to work on the woman that I am, so that someone will want to catch a grenade for me. (If you don't listen to Top 40, I can't help you with that one.) As fabulous as I am, I still have some serious flaws...and you think this is your chance to tell me how un-fabulous I am, you are totally missing the point. I am a total work in progress and I always will be. But the more time I take to figure out who I am and grow into the woman I want to be, the more likely I am to attract the kind of person I desire to be with. And that is something I have total control over.

Be nicer to people. This may seem like a "fluff" statement, but I assure you it's not. Generally speaking, I am a nice person...to people I know. But far too often I meet people and after they get to know me, they tell me that before they knew me they thought I was mean...or stuck up...or intimidating...basically, just not nice. I have no desire to be any of those things, but I also don't want people thinking that I might be. So I think what it boils down to is putting more effort in to how I come across to people.

Learn to love. This past year I read this book called "The Five Love Languages." I think I read it a tad too late to help with the current situation I was in, but it taught me a lot about how to love. Now I need to apply it. Sure, it was written for romantic relationships, but I think it works for all the relationships in your life. Then, once I do have a stable, committed romantic relationship in my life, I can put all my newfound knowledge to use. Then it's a done deal. I will be basically perfect at that point. :)

Goals that Really Matter

Who I am off the track is something I try to share on here quite frequently. The majority of people who find this blog or decide to read might do so because I'm an athlete and they like track and like me as an athlete...or they don't like me as an athlete and that's their motivating factor for visiting. I get that. But if all I ever talked about was one facet of my life, it would be quite the lopsided picture. I've always felt like I could tell my story as an athlete better if I share more of who I am. So I do...like it or not.


SPIRITUAL GOALS

Complain less. How is this spiritual? Well that's easy. Every time I complain, I'm essentially saying that God's messing up and things shouldn't be how they are. But if things shouldn't be how they are, then either I'm doing something wrong or I'm not being patient enough for it to all make sense and work out the way it's supposed to. The point is, I'm where I'm at for a reason.

Give more. More of my time. More of my money. More of myself. I can be selfish in a lot of ways but I've learned more and more that going to Church is not nearly as important as being the Church. It takes effort, but that effort is so worth it and so rewarding that I know I need to do more.

Stay focused on what's important. Let's be honest...God doesn't care how far I jump in sand. In and of itself, that's not what's important to Him. I believe it's my talent and I know he gives us all special and unique talents for a reason, but the reason isn't always what we want it to be. It's what we do with those talents that should give glory where it belongs. I guess what I'm saying is I just need to remember that ultimately it's not about me.

Time for Goal Setting

Day 4

It's still the first week of 2011, which means I'm technically still allowed to write posts about New Years Resolutions. After this week, however, it becomes totally passé, so if you haven't gotten around to yours, you only have a few days left. I actually hadn't made any definitive resolutions but after a conversation with my best friend, she forced me to buckle down and make concrete goals for the upcoming year. These were her rules (yes, rules for goal setting): There are three categories for you goals, professionally, spiritually, and relationally...each category must have three main goals... after all that, pick one main goal out of those. I'll break it up for you and start with the first category today...


PROFESSIONAL GOALS FOR 2011

1. Be a consistent competitor. I will be better this year, I'm quite sure of it. But my main parameter for being better, is being really good all of the time. I want consistency in my performances and first and foremost that starts with a mindset.

2. Have a successful Outdoor National Championships. Nationals is an important goal because you can't make the World Championship Team without it. You can be the best jumper in the world and if you don't perform at that meet it won't matter. I want to win of course, but the goal is to be Top 3 and secure a spot on the World Team. Because the United States has such depth of talent, it requires us to peak twice during the season, and this will be my first "peak".

3. Perform well at the World Championships in Daegu. I've made World Championship teams before but I consider myself a participant. This year I want to be a factor. I want to show up mentally and physically prepared to do my absolute best. I don't want to just make the final like last year, I want to make the medal stand.

So, those are my professional goals for the year, written in black and white for everyone to see, but more importantly for me to commit wholeheartedly to. It's important to write goals down, because that makes them real. So, feel free to share your professional goals since I've shared mine with you. They don't need to involve jumping in sand or anything earth shattering like that... :)

The Tree in the Forest

I've been a little down lately and have done my share of complaining. I know this. And in case I didn't know it, there have been a few people who have pointed it out to me, lest I think my problems and circumstances hold a candle to people who have real issues in life. That's hardly something you feel like hearing when you're depressed though, especially from people who don't know you personally. Everyone wants their life to seem significant and for their personal story to makes sense in a fair and understandable way.

But what if the story isn't about you?

I was struck with that question just the other day as I was reading a book about life and the story we choose to live. It's so easy to get caught up in ourselves and what's happening to us, but the story our lives tell is part of a much bigger story, with an author who has a much grander storyline. I'm a tree in a story about a forest. When I let myself get carried away with what's happening with the tree, I'm acting as if the story of the tree is more important than the story of the forest.

God is telling a story about the forest. I play a part in that story, but I'm not the story. Sometimes it's not about me. Sometimes my struggles, my pains, my failures, my hardships, my whatever, have another purpose that I don't even see. And they probably aren't that big to begin with. I imagine I'm still a small, developing tree at that...

Be Relaxed and Be Mean

I got some strange advice today. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it made a whole lot of sense. Right now I'm working with a certain level of ability but if you asked me if I thought that ability was being maximized, I'd tell you absolutely not. Luckily, every person that knows me in an athletic capacity would agree. So, without getting any better than I already am (even though i will), what could I do to perform better at my current talent level?

Be meaner and be more relaxed. At the same time.

That might not make sense to everyone, but I believe if you're an athlete and you let that ruminate for a little while, you'll begin to understand. Maybe you'd use slightly different adjectives, but the sentiment would be the same. For me personally, the combination of those two works well. My determination and focus need to be such that people see me competing and they know I mean business... that there is nothing that is going to stand in the way of me achieving what I set out to achieve. Perhaps you'd see a person in that mindset and they look slightly intimidating. Fear and doubt is nowhere to be found. I want to be that person. And in the midst of all that, I want to stay relaxed. I want to stay in control and welcome the pressure of big time situations without letting it get the best of me.

For years I would have the song Eye of the Tiger playing on my iPod while I was warming up for competitions. I think Tigers do a great job of being mean and relaxed at the same time. They have an intensity and a focus about them that let's you know they are about taking care of business and that they are in perfect control. Tigers get it. I need to take some cues from them.







What do you think....am I close?!!

Any other word combinations you can think of that get at the same sentiment? I might have to borrow them...

21 Day Challenge

Day 1


Today I'm starting my 21 days of continuous blogging to see if I can reignite my passion for sharing with friends and strangers alike all that happens in my so-called fabulous life. Im hoping to make this a habit, like it once was, and less of a chore that I get around to maybe twice a month. Anyone that knows me understands that writing is my favorite form of communication, so I hope that I can get back into the swing of things and make this fun again.

Now let's be honest, 21 days straight means there's bound to be a bunch of mindless rambling. I say this on day 1 to forewarn those people who come to this blog expecting to find me talking about how we can create world peace and find a cure for cancer. For some reason there has seem to be a misconception by some folks and I'd like to just put a few things out there so we can all be on the same page...

* The blog is about ME. That should be evident from the title, but just in case it's not, just know that if it's not related to my life in some way, I probably am not blogging about it.

* Sometimes things bum me out and I talk about it. I know that as a whole, i have an extremely blessed life, but I do get down about things every once in a while. I'm human. Shoot me.

*you get no extra credit for reading this blog. It's not mandatory and nobody is forcing you. The beauty of living in America is I can write about whatever I like, and you can choose to read it...or not. Yay for freedom!

I'd like to thank everyone for the kind words of encouragement and please continue to check back regularly...or at least for the next 21 days!