Aiming for second best.

Several years ago, I took on a client who wanted to be coached in clearing her attitude about competing in a body building exposition.  I asked her about the routine, what she had to do to train, and then we talked about the other competitors.  She stated that she didn't think she could score high enough to knock out her "first" place winner.  I say "her" because she had it in her head that she could never beat the woman slated for first place.  After several more sessions, I flat out asked her what she wanted to accomplish in the competition.  Her answer - second place.  I was stunned.  I was coaching someone for "second" place.

She was a real learning lesson for me.  I have since recognized the people who are aiming for second place instead of batting out of the ballpark.

In starting something new in my life, I always question where my aim is and how far do I want this to go.  Several times, I have aimed out of the ballpark just to see what happens.  Wow!  Those times, I really was the best.

Excellence tastes wonderful and having cultivated the taste, I want it all to be that in my life.

Think deeper

There is a commercial on TV that has a line that says, "it makes sense if you don't think about it."  How powerful is that to "not think about what is going on in life?"  Every time I have "not thought about" something is when I really got into trouble about it.  Usually, it was when I didn't think through to the end to see the consequences coming.

One small issue about five years ago is still plaguing me in time, money, and having to spend the time now to think about how to rectify the problem.

All of it being because I didn't "want to think about it" at the time.

My lesson in this is not only to think about what is going on, but also to include how this is going to affect me "down the road," and is this the best decision I can make for me.

Now, I think about how I can think into a deeper level to "see" more of what is going on and what it takes to think about all of the possible consequences.  Because of that, life has gotten easier.

Snow in San Antonio

It is very cold outside - 22 degrees.  It snowed sometime during the night and when I went out to take pictures of it, it crunched.   That means, most of it is ice.

The last time we had ice was in January of 2009.  I watched our dogs go outside and crunch through the ice to do what they had to do.  They all scurried to get inside very quickly.

I turned the heat off before I went to bed last night because the noise of the furnace wakes me up.  When I got up this morning it was 58 degrees in the house.  I don't have enough clothes to keep me warm while up and around, even with the heat on, so I am taking a "snow" day, hunkering down under covers, hot tea, a good book and riding out the weather.

There is nothing like a contrast to make me wish for warmer weather...I guess I complained too much last summer during the heat about wanting cooler weather.  This is cooler, alright!