I made a goal to read the LDS church magazine (THE ENSIGN) from cover to cover each month. So I started today. I actually read quite a few different articles this morning, but one in particular struck a chord with me.
"This is the day which the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it." I don't think this refers JUST to Sunday. But rather, to every day we live. ENJOY THE MOMENT.
Comparing skating to life... Its not a race. Its a journey. Enjoy the moment.
Recently I had the great opportunity of staying with my coach's family in Colorado Springs. They all welcomed me in and instantly I felt a part of the clan. While in town, I had 5 hours of lessons, spread over 3 day. I worked so hard, that I actually lost weight and dropped a dress size! lol Anyway, back to lessons learned.
In life, I strive to be the best I can. I make mistakes. I stumble, but I think I always get back up and try again. I want to return to live with my Heavenly Father again, and so I try to go through life, with this ever in the forefront of my mind. I want to be the best I can.
In skating...I want to be the type of skater I KNOW I can be. But I also realize to get to that level (not level like doing a double axel, but level of beauty) I have to step down, I have to break down barriers, I have to be humble and teachable. I have to stretch. I have to be willing to make mistakes and fall, because that is how I will grow.
My coach wants my spins to be better. So do I. I have to really work at that. I have to disconnect muscle memory that has been there 15 years and break it down. I have to go forward with faith- that if I listen to my coach, I can correct these issues and problem, and I can reach higher. Its gonna be really hard to change this behavior- to change these habits. But if I'm humble, teachable, and practice, I WILL succeed! I also have to have faith in MY ABILITY! I can't just rely on the teachings of my coach. I have to believe that I, Angie Miske, WILL be able to do it.
Questions: How can you find joy in the journey of your life?
How can you bring joy into the lives of those around you?
If I slow down on my crossovers and warmup drills, They look better. I skate more efficiently. If I slow down, I look more confident. If I slow down, I skate better. Slowing down doesn't mean I won't still have the speed on the ice I am known for. It means, I will have better edges, more power. I will still be fast- but fast in a different way. I have to SLOW DOWN to enjoy the moment. If I do this, I really enjoy the process of learning and growing. If I do this, I can more readily see the joy all around me that is there, daily on the ice. If I rush. If I approach everything with a "this is hard" or "i don't want to" attitude, the joy won't be there- because its HARD!
Life is hard. There are ups and downs constantly. There will always be things that way heavy on our minds. School, work, relationships. Life is constantly shifting. BUT what good does it do us to stress over things that aren't happening right this minute. Recently with a friend, I was lamenting about a stress I have in my life. There was absolutely NOTHING I could do about this stress at that very moment. I could complain about it- but that didn't solve anything, and actually just made me feel sick to my stomach. My friend reminded me to stay focused on what I was doing right then. If I didn't, I would miss THAT moment. I would be so concerned about the future moment that I would miss out on all the joy that could happen right then.
On TV, sometimes you will see elite level skaters who make a mistake and then the rest of their program, they are so concerned about that past mistake that they can't enjoy the rest of the their program. OR they are skating okay, but are so concerned about a jump that happens later in the program, that they can't enjoy the beginning of the program. I think the advice of my friend could be applied here as well.
THIS IS THE DAY WHICH THE LORD HATH MADE...REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.
Go forward friends, bringing JOY to others, and enjoying the journey.
