Aspiracion Part 2

I briefly outline my immediate past for one reason: to demonstrate that even though life may seem like some shit at the moment, it is never too bad that you can't keep your head up and keep pushing forward. Because something great waits on the other side. And you know what, that something great is only great because you've gone through something horrible. Adversity is the prerequisite to greatness. You cannot know success until you have overcome failure. I have known this for years, as have my amazing family. Nobody in our family has not gone through something terrible at one point or another in our lives. But we have all made it out alive and continue to live like survivors every single day. Living like a survivor entails a shift in perspective. You see the world from the vantage that what you've gone through has made you stronger in every way, and that no matter what hits you in the face in the future, you know everything will be just fine as long as you put your head down and keep moving forward.

Case and point: my sis suffered from rheumatic fever at a young age and consequently dealt with self-esteem issues regarding her body image all through middle school and high school. Junior year in high school she made the decision that she was tired of it all. At this point she was a mediocre high school track athlete. One year after she shifted her perspective and followed her dream, with the tough experiences behind her, she was standing on the top of a podium at the National Track & Field Championship with a Gold Medal around her neck and smile so big we couldn't get it off her face for days. She is the 5000m National Champion and is now running on scholarship at the University of Virginia and has her post-collegiate sights set on the 2016 Olympics.

I use my sister as an inspiration in my own life for several reasons. I know that we are cut of the same cloth so I know that with a little hard work and pure motivation and dedication to my goals, I will an international caliber triathlete within 5-10 years, making a steady living as one the best in the sport. I'm also at that definitive point in my life. I am sick of failed attempts at getting back to elite fitness. It's time for a change. I start with a coach next week, a coach who is incredibly positive and who truly believes in my goals with me. Together, things are going to begin to come to fruition. She will tell me what I need to do. And on my side of the agreement, I will trust what she gives me and I will take care of keeping a clean, nutritious diet, doing all of my schoolwork in order to graduate on time, and getting plenty of sleep, all to keep myself healthy and focused on the long term goal.