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I've always been an athlete; I identify myself as an athlete, and I love the lifestyle. I enjoy the discipline, the routine, and challenge that accompanies training. I become excited and feel more alive as the goal in sight becomes more attainable with each and every day of hard work and effort. The bottom line is that I love the journey.
As a kid I grew up playing lacrosse. I remember LOVING practice. I loved practice as much as I loved the games. I remember throwing the lacrosse ball against the chimney of my house everyday. It was just me and my labrador retriever who used steal the balls. I would get mad at her at the time, but what I realize now is that it made me that much better. I knew I had to catch the ball, I had to be faster or else the backyard game was over. When most of my teammates were relieved, I remember being extremely bummed out if an organized practice ever got cancelled. I enjoyed the learning process. I valued the time for improvement.
As a runner I experienced the satisfaction that an individual sport could bring. The harder I worked, the more success I had regardless of any other factors. I knew that if I could push myself to run a time in training I would definitely be able to do that if not better in the race. It was all about preparation.
I was (and still am) so intrigued by this. I learned that I could prepare for success. If I put in the effort I could make so many goals a reality. This is lesson that applies to every facet of life- sports, work, relationships, everything!
I've competed at a high level in a myriad of sports- Division I lacrosse at Johns Hopkins, the Boston Marathon, beach sprinter with USLA, track runner, and national level NPC bikini competitor. The lesson of hard work and preparation rarely fails. Even if you don't do as well as you wanted to the energy and joy that comes along with the journey of the preparation makes it worthwhile.
After what seems like a lifetime of searching I think I've found my niche in the athletic realm. I am proud to be an NPC bikini competitor. I'm guessing I recently found this competitive joy, because bikini is still a new division in the NPC.
Without all the previous sports and training I would not appreciate this sport as much so I suppose everything happens for a reason. I enjoy competing in physique competitions, because I get to practice all the time around the clock. This may seem like a real chore for some, but I don't see it that way. I enjoy the healthy lifestyle, setting an example for my personal training clients, learning about the body and how to manipulate variables for a better physique.
As a health and fitness writer nothing could be better. I am connected with people who are a wealth of information and inspiration. I rarely have difficulty coming up with article ideas, because there is just too much out there. In fact, it's overwhelming at times. I have lists of article ideas. Unfortunately, I don't have as much time as I would like to research and write about all of these topics, but no worries- I'll just maintain a consistent flow. I'm always learning. Learning is the mission of life.
I'm now just 1.5 weeks out from competing in my next national level show. I have the best coach and a great support system. I love being an entrepreneur, and I especially love being an athlete. I know this may all sound like rainbows and butterflies, especially during a time when we have major issues going on in the world like the awful oil spill in the Gulf, the war on terrorism, and sickness and disease, but if we don't take time to value the good in our lives and be grateful for the journey and lessons learned life would be wasted and dismal to say the least.
I've learned that happiness comes in many forms- sometimes it's just appreciating the little things in life like a beautiful sunny day, and sometimes happiness results from sacrifice, hard work, and success. For me the most substantial form of happiness is the journey towards a meaningful goal.
Never give up on your goals, never give up on the journey.
