Compete against yourself, not others, for that is truly your best competition

·        "The most important thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else - it has to be yours. Compete against yourself, not others, for that is truly your best competition." ♥ Olympic Figure Skater Peggy Fleming

I like this quote from Peggy Fleming.  I think it applies to life as well.  The most important thing is to love your life.  Love who you are.   Love what you’re doing with your life and ask yourself is it pleasing to who you are.  This is your competition.

I have grown is so many ways over the years and still have a way to go but I’m really learning to embrace where I’m at and who I am as I continue to move forward and gain more knowledge.  I’m not here to please other people with the choices I make.  I’m here to please myself and God.  This is my competition and journey.  I’m on my road working my way at becoming the Best I can Be, the Best at what God wants me to be. 

I’ve always been a person excepting of each person’s unique differences.  We’re not all put on this planet to like the same things, be the same.  My brothers are different and blessed in many ways.  I admire them for their own strengths and I’m like that with my friends as well.  If you look at my friends over the years they’re all so very different in so many ways.  I admire them for who they are and their own journeys as they live and grow. 

 I learned a lot about myself when I competed in my first figure competition.  It was another time in my life of growth. It was at this time that I learned that I can’t please everyone and that the most important thing I could do was to please myself.  I'd been a pleaser my whole life and so this was a huge lesson for me.

We need to have passion and love for what we’re doing and who we are.  If we don’t have it then it will be hard to give ourselves fully to anyone.

I like discipline, I like feeling strong, I like where both of these choices take me.  It makes me happy to challenge myself with both.

I will cherish some cards that I received from my children after my competitions.  I have actually done three now.  (I’m done as far as competitions go with other people.  As stated in Peggy’s statement….the BEST competition you have is with yourself and I’ll continue to challenge myself without getting on stage.) 

The notes Read:

You Did It! From start to finish, from then to now, from dream to reality~

Mom, Congrats on your competition!  I am so proud of you.  You are such an encouragement to me and everyone else.  It is amazing what persistence and determination will do.  This is an awesome defeat.  I love you and am so happy for you.  Love Jessica.

After this last competition both my daughters gave me this card:

You Made It Happen ~Congratulations to incredible you~

Mom,  You look incredible!  You’re a winner because you’re doing what you Love.  We love you and are proud of you.  Love Janine and Kody

Mom, You are one hot mama and grandma.  We are so proud of you.  You are amazing.  Love Always Jessica, Dave and Kyle.

I post these notes because to me they have such Huge meaning and value to me.  When I begin this quest for change within myself I had many guilty feelings that I was doing too much for myself.    I think us women/mothers/wives are torn with that a lot.  We don’t feel we are worthy to take care of ourselves or pursue what makes us happy.  We think that we need to take care of everyone else first.  Well if I would have listened to that negative and worried I would never have pushed forward and have been where I’m at today and my daughters would have missed a great lesson as well. 

As Janine stated so well~ You Are a Winner because you’re doing what you Love!

I Love that Line!!  It means alot to me that I have support and encouragement.

My hope and prayer for my friends and family is for them to be healthy, happy and doing what they Love! To be Winners!  Life is short~ Make the Best of Each Day!!  Be the Best that you can Be!!