TWO MORE WEEKS...

   Two weeks(and one day) until I hit the national stage for the first time. This prep for me has been the absolute hardest. I thought over time they would get easier, but it has proven to be the opposite. Maybe it's because we've taken a different approach? Maybe it's because we've made so many changes? Maybe it's because my mind and body needed a break?  Maybe it's because I'm afraid my body isn't in the right place? Whatever it is, I know I need to keep pushing. I've worked far too hard for far too long to give in now, and I can only continue to progress from here. Sometimes I feel, I'm sure many of us feel, we need to be perfect. I agree we should always strive for perfection, but no one is PERFECT and never will be. What happens when you reach your ultimate goal? You want more, right? It's a continuous cycle of trying to be better than you once were before.
   Yesterday a teammate of mine told me rather than trying to live up to "being perfect" they live life by "inches." Every inch gets you closer to your goal. Every rep, every meal, every last detail is what brings it all together. So I'm going to try to think about every inch it takes to get there rather than trying to "be perfect" in everything I do. Be YOU, strive for YOUR best. There will be trial and error, failure and success, but THAT is what will make you the best you that you can be.
   When I was little my dad would tell me Thomas the Tank Engine stories(he was an engineer so it was fitting.) Of course, at the end Thomas always thought he wouldn't make it up the hill. Then he'd start saying, "I think I can! I think I can!" And wouldn't you know it, everytime he made it! As crazy as it seems, sometimes I have to chant this to myself in my head but it works! When you're giving it your all and you're on the brink of giving up stop and look at how far you've come. Don't worry about how much farther you have to go. The journey is half the fun! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a few inches to inhale ;-)