Sometimes its easy to forget the power you have when you start comparing yourself to those around you. By comparing yourself to those around you, you soon forget the qualities that you yourself have that make you great.

In life there is always going to be someone prettier, smarter, faster, funnier, etc than you but you have to remember that although they might have a quality that is stronger in one area, you were made to be stronger in another area. You just have to know yourself and know what that quality is and utilize it to your advantage.

There have been several people who have contacted me, saying that they are scared for their season because everyone else (meaning other teams), looks really good. I have heard that there have been teams that have gotten really good recruits, transfers, and athletes that have really stepped up their game. To me, those factors don't mean a thing- anyone can look good on paper, anyone can look good at the beginning of the season, but on any given day, it is anyone's game. Just because someone has a high reputation does not mean that they will always come out on top.

It is always good to respect your competition but it is NEVER okay to sell yourself or your teammates short. Like I said, if you and your teammates are close, are running for each other, have a goal, and are working hard toward that goal....it is just as much your game as anyone else's. Please do not allow yourself to be intimidated by other teams...if you do, you have already lost. The girls I know and love are fearless- they welcome a challenge and earnestly believe.

You know who you are....Know that you can do it.

Will this win him over?

So things are getting a LOT better at work- I am starting to feel more comfortable with what I am doing and I am getting to do some cool projects and interact with some really cool and intelligent people. What I learned is that everything new is hard for a while.... not a short while... a long while. I just think we all forget or expect change to give quick results when really we need to give it time.

As for the men situation...No luck for me right now....However, I am learning that in this day and age, if you want something you have to go after it- things don't come to you anymore. Of course this has to be done tactfully but you still gotta go get it.

I went and talked to this cute guy at work- and yes, no stumbling or farting! Yaya! Could the curse be over? Haha but I am working on getting an outcome...but like I said earlier things take time- do you think this face will win him over next time I bump into him at work?!

Why, Oh, Why, Me?

You know those days when just every single thing goes wrong? I had one of those days- My alarm clock didn't go off, I had forgotten to iron out my shirts so they were all wrinkled for work, there was no more milk for my cereal in the morning, I had bad gas, I couldn't get a handle on any of my duties at work, AND on my way home I missed the light rail and had to wait for the next one (which was only 20 minutes but still...it was annoying.)

We hear it all the time from ourselves or from other people, "WHY ME?!" but the fact that things going awry in life is often an ignored part of life even though we have all experienced it many times. KEY WORDS: we ALL have experienced life gone wrong at some point...we as individuals are not alone in the fact that life just sucks sometimes and its hard. However, we seem to forget that other people have or are going through things too and we come to narcssistically believe that we are the ONLY ones going through a hard time.

Much of the time, we complain not realizing it is the result of our OWN actions. But we would never admit that would we? No, we tend to blame things or people around us for what is going on in our lives. We hear things like, "Its my bosses fault I didn't get this done, he didn't tell me what to do!" or "Its his fault that we are fighting- he's just such an idiot," or "It's her fault that we went too fast in the workout not mine," or "Its hear fault that I am struggling with eating- she only eats salads for dinner,"

If we want to change our circumstance it has to come from within- no one else is to blame. WE have a choice....Always... to figure out information we don't know, not to follow someone's lead if it is wrong, and fix something if it is not right. You are not the only one struggling with something, believe me. Also, other people and things are not to blame- its your life so you have to take charge and not expect anyone else to come and make it better for you. Ignorance to this fact will contribute to the formation of habitual self pity and this will only drag us down in life.

Let's stop pointing fingers and get through it.

Your Gift

Gift: a talent or ability that is willingly given to others without any expectation of returned payment

We all have been blessed with multiple gifts- if you are disagreeing with me right now than that just means that you have not taken the time to discover your own. EVERYONE has something special to give- its just a matter of finding it and learning how to best give it. Many people say that the discovery process is about knowing what you want to do with your life but its actually about experimenting in different opportunities and then you will discover your gift. Until you actually try something you're not going to know what you are good at.

You have tons of hidden abilities and gifts you don't know you've got because you have never tried them out. So TRY things and give yourself a chance in things you have never tried before- when it doesn't work don't view it as a failure but rather as an experiment. You can have several abilities and gifts in different areas in your life whether it be church, work, sport, or in a team atmosphere- these are all areas that you can experiment with. For example, you may volunteer at certain events at your church like mentoring, helping with parking, food packaging and then discover where you feel most alive, passionate, and needed.

And in sport and team areas- your team may need you to discover where you are the strongest in the race so that you can help pull the team through it. Or you may be needed more OFF the course than on it- maybe your purpose is to be the glue of the team- your ability to keep everyone together and happy may be just the key to a successful season.

If you are thinking that you cannot contribute or that you don't exist in areas in your life, its because you made it that way. Its most likely because you are comparing yourself to others. This is a bad place to put yourself in because there will ALWAYS be someone better than you- its just the way things go. If you are always looking at this person and comparing yourself to them, you will stay in the shadows and become discouraged. On the other hand, you may compare yourself to someone who does not seems as effective as you and you become full of pride which makes your harbor your gifts selfishly for yourself- Either way, comparison is an ugly place to reside so get out of it.

Don't settle for being "just a part of the group" stretch yourself and learn all that you can- experiment and find where you can contribute the most.

Testing, Testing, 1,2,3.... Athletes and Jobs

As we all know, the economy is not in the best shape right now. Which decreases our chances to find a job whether it be just for the summer or after college. For, me I began the job hunt process at the beginning of December 2011 and did not find a job until late July 2012. This is why I want to encourage those of you who are about to embark on a career search to start now! Don't let it stress you out- if you get a head start now you will be fine.

During my job searching process there were things that I wish I knew/took advantage of. 

Here is what I wish I knew:

• Research the organization before you go on an interview- figure out its mission, values, and what makes the organization good at what they do. Understand what they do, sell or buy and be able to ask questions about it or compliment them on it. (Example: "I see that your organization made Fortune 500,  that is a great accomplishment. What is it that got your organization there?"
• Understand the importance of STAR- http://www.jobinterviewtools.com/blog/job-interview/behavioral-interviewing/star-interview/
• HOW TO WORK EXCEL WELL! If you don't know it now learn it
• Have questions for the employer: 

1. What is a typical day in the life of this position? 
2. What would a successful first year in this position look like for you?
3. Thinking back to the person who you've seen do this job best, what made their performance so outstanding?
4. What is your time line for getting back to candidates about the next steps?

Here is what I wish I did:

• Go to college career fairs- it is here where networking can help you and you can also find organizations that you never knew of
• Go to interview preparation sessions- employers are not messing around in this economy. They do not have much time to interview people so when they do they want concise, well spoken answers to their questions. I fumbled many times in interviews and if I had practiced it would have went a lot smoother
• Go professional clothes shopping when you actually have the time to do so- I was too lazy to shop for a suit and professional clothes early on- mainly because I only like comfy clothes. So as a result, I was running around like a mad woman at the mall and grabbing anything that I could find (not smart)

Here are interview questions I had asked that you might be asked in the future: If you have any questions to add please do!

1. Describe your major: not only describe your major but how it helped you grow as a person and how it will make you more productive on the job and help the organization gain a competitive edge
2. What are your weaknesses? this is a trick! You need to pick a weakness that can be seen as a strength or turned into a strength. For example: "One of my weaknesses is being a perfectionist- I want things to be perfect and right to produce the best results. This can sometimes act as a road block but I am working on balancing my perfectionism so as not to impede on deadlines."
3. What is your biggest failure in life?  I have been asked this question three times- be sure to admit to a failure but recover by saying what you learned from it and how you can carry this lesson into the workforce
4. What accomplishment are you most proud of? You can say what you are most proud of but try to pick an accomplishment that can be seen as a transferable accomplishment to the workforce. For example, you can say, "I was on a collegiate track and cross country team and we achieved ________. This was a great accomplishment for me because I was able to learn what it is like to work with a team through both good and challenging times to achieve something great."
5. What do you know about our organization and where do you think you might fit in best? Uhh Huhh, You can imagine how this one got me into trouble- DO YOUR RESEARCH
6. Do you think that being a student athlete took away from learning how to act in the real world? Why or why not? This is where you shine! Tell them in no way did it take away from learning about the real world- in fact, it probably taught you more about the real world because you had to learn time management, balance, teamwork, and how to effectively leverage a competitive drive to best bring the TEAM success (make it always about the team)
7. Do you have experience in this field? Simple question but if you do not have experience say that athletics has taught you to be a very quick learner and that your competitive drive for team results will push you to work harder to understand it
8. Why would you want to work in this organization/position? Flatter the organization but NOT TOO MUCH and then explain your strengths and how you can make them better and also how they can make you better
9. Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult person? What was the outcome? Choose a situation where the end resulted in collaboration or negotiation. 

Knowing vs. Believing

Believe: to accept something as true
Know: be aware of something

Each one of us knows that we can be good at something. Each one of us knows that we will get through rough times. Each one of us knows that we can be better than we currently are...but do we really believe it?

To believe, means to accept something is true. When we know that something is true- there is nothing to fear because there is no ambiguity or complexity- it is just FACT. My first couple of weeks at my real job were hard and still are! My learning curve is really steep and I am trying to balance church, family, exercise, and fun. This is a tough balance and I have had to sacrifice quiet a bit. At first this really bothered me- I kept thinking to myself, " Oh shoot, now I am going to get out of shape," or " I don't have time for church anymore."

My parents kept reassuring me that it was okay and that things will balance out. They repeatedly told me that I can do anything I put my mind to and if accomplishing all these things were something I wanted, that I would get it. I simply shrugged it off with, "I know, I know." But I didn't believe it. Until today.

I have not run in over 2 weeks because I just have not had the time- and sometimes I did have the time but my body was just too tired. However, when I got on the trail I ran the best I ever have and I think it was because I didn't force my body to do something when it couldn't. Also, after my run, I had time to go to my church group even though I thought I wouldn't have time. It felt amazing and so refreshing. After this feeling I thought to myself- "You know what, you CAN do anything you put your mind to. It's must a matter of keeping your mind on that goal and doing what you can when you can."

Do you keep telling people around you that you "know" you can reach your goal someday, or that you "know" you will recover from your injury or that you "know" things will get better? Well, don't just know it, BELIEVE IT. Knowing things keeps you complacent- you are just aware of the fact that you could be great...but BELIEVING that you can be great is the first force of momentum that will get you to that goal.

DONT...STOP...BELIEVIN

And shout out to Vandy this Weekend!!! Kick Butt girls! BELIEVE!!

Devil Dash!!!! First Race Back

The Devil Dash- a race that required a waiver to be signed because of the many possibilities of getting hurt. It is a 5k race but its not just running- there are several obstacles in your way of the finish line such as; tires, swimming across Colorado rivers, climbing across roped nets, scaling vertical walls, army climbing through yards of mud and running up a mountain.

I got banged up quite a bit- but it was the most fun I have had in a really long time. My whole family and I entered this race and had a blast doing it. I was scared because I haven't raced in such a long time due to my injuries but it was amazing to feel my competitive juices come back and pull me through the race.

I realized through this race that I could still race! Sometimes I make the mistake of thinking that I have to get a certain amount of training in to accomplish something but most times what it really comes down to is- who wants it more? The prize does not necessarily go to the person who worked in the most miles in her training schedule or to the girl that was the most strict about her lifestyle but rather to the girl who gets on the starting line and tenaciously fights her way to the front.

My vision is to keep racing and competing my whole life- and one of these days I plan to win the whole thing but I know that this plan will not happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely the time will approach when my vision will be fulfilled but I will have to go through a lot more hardship first. By this I mean I will probably get derailed in training because of work- but thats okay because work is essential and it needs to get done. I will probably get injured along the way- but thats okay because I will take care of it. Sometimes life is slow in bringing us to our goals but these little derailments WILL PASS.

Don't give up on your vision just because a little derailment has come up- If you are not up where you want to be, please be patient. Great things take time. Remember how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be but neither are you where you used to be. Life isn't finished with you yet- so keep pressing forward. Don't try to get of of this phase prematurely, let life do its woks so that you become mature and well developed to accomplish your vision when the time comes.

We Rise...

The Phoniex resembles re-birth- to put in a better way, it is defined as an animal that rises from its own ashes, meaning that it can always pick itself up after falling down. We fall down because that is just what happens in life but good things always come out of downfalls...especially when we rise from them. When we rise, we gain wisdom.

Wisdom is valuable because it is gained through life's experiences- it is something that can only be learned if we go through something. Wisdom is timeless so once you gain it you can never lose it and are better able to navigate through life's obstacles. If you are anything like me, you learn once you have fallen a couple of times, that patience and time are the two most pertinent elements to gaining wisdom. Nothing good has ever come quickly or easily in my life and I am guessing if you look back on the best things/experiences in your life that they weren't quick or easy either.

Shortcuts are dangerous because they are an imposter to the genuine experience you gain from waiting and being patient. By this I mean, if you cheat, do something unhealthy, or step in front of someone else- your experience in whatever you are trying to achieve will be satisfying... but only for a short while. You WILL pay the consequences for doing the wrong thing but you will always reap benefits if you are patient.

Giving up on yourself is just as bad as taking a shortcut- usually people give up on themselves because it is taking so long for them to get what they want. The sad thing about this? Most people give up RIGHT before the light; thus, they royally screw themselves because what they want was right around the corner. You and I both know that we have the capability to withstand waiting- whether it be in agony or not, we all have the capability to rise above like the phoniex...Its just a matter of toughening up and committing yourself to WAIT. Your time will come....it will come.