As we all get ready for the New Year, its important to take a few minutes and reflect on 2017.
Are you different today than you were on January 1, 2017? What evolved? What went great for you? What didn’t go so well? What can we learn by all of this?
For me, 2017 has been an awesome year. I won the Rawlings Gold Glove, which I never thought would happen. My Pride team won the regular season, AGAIN. We welcomed a new puppy to the family, I did well in my Master’s Program, and my workouts were on point. But just because these great positive things happened, doesn’t mean they happened without rough patches along the way. It wouldn’t be beneficial for growth to just look at the things that went well. Because with every difficult goal set, and mission we embark upon, there will be setbacks along the way – guaranteed!
For those who know me or follow me on Social Media, you know I LOVE English bulldogs, and my girl Stonz was the sunshine in my days. This past February 2017, she left us to go to doggy heaven – where dog treat filled rivers flow abundantly and back scratches are endless (that last part is what my imagination conjures up, when I think about what she’d liked the most), and it was truly a heartbreak for me to go through.
Then we brought a new puppy into our family, Bizkit and she is a handful of energy, attitude, sassiness, and sweetness all rolled up in a English Bulldog body. In just a short time, she has brought so many smiles and joy to our family (along with chewed up shoes and makeup), and we look forward to many more years of her being a part of our “pack”.
My reason for sharing this example, is to show that when bad things happen, something good can come from them. I absolutely didn’t want another dog after Stonz passing, but once we got little Bizkit (who epitomizes the sour patch kid commercials; first she’s sour, then she’s sweet), I love that little girl so much. I find it important to see all sides and have a big picture view of things in order to realize what it took to get where you are or to achieve something great.
Anytime you see a successful athlete, many think their path to success was easy, but I guarantee they would tell you they had their fair share of troubles along the way – but continued to power through them, because the thought of accepting where they were currently at, as “all they could do” or “best they could be” bothered them more than anything that may lie on the road ahead as they continue to try to get 1% better every day. That is how, we as people, and athletes grow, get better, and stay motivated towards our goals.
If you didn’t quite reach your 2017 goals, SO WHAT. There isn’t a timer on your life, as long as you stay motivated and keep working towards that goal, because once you reach it, and achieve it, I promise it will all be worth it (and then will be time to set NEW GOALS).
For this coming year, I encourage you set some goals that you want to reach, even very tough ones (I got mine picked out that I will share in a future blog). Then work every day to get closer to those goals.
Those goals could be to make you a better player, a better student, a better athlete, or a better person, but just remember, there will be some set-backs and struggles along the way – and although it may not seem like it at the time – it WILL all be worth it in the end.
I hope you all have had a great 2017, and are ready to continue reaching for the stars in 2018! I wish everyone a wonderful and safe New Year!
Cheers to 2018, and to all the 2018 goals that will be crushed!
