Ouch - That Hurt!

I used to love watching the Olympics, especially ice dancing. I grew up in Chicago on ice skates in the winter. Our backyard was converted to an ice rink at least 4 months a year. Can you say brrrrrrr! I used to fantasize I was the next Katrina Witt. For those of you who don't know, she won the gold in ice skating in 1984 - the peak of my ice skating career. I moved to the desert after that in search of warmth and sunshine.

Now, I have a tough time watching the Olympics because I can't help but think how imbalanced all these little girls grow up endlessly pursuing the perfect routine. Ice dancing, gymnastics, swimming ... you name it. In order to become an Olympic athlete you have to be single minded and driven after the gold. You have to be in pursuit of perfection.

But the problem is … there is no perfection. I think the essence of life is to get comfortable with our own imperfection. Because if we don’t we are going to fall. And like the ice dancer who had to be rushed to the hospital this year, it is really going to hurt.

February is a reflective month for me. After 3 months of dim lighting and cold weather, I can’t help but feel a little gray myself. I spend a lot of the winter month contemplating my life and where I want to go. I usually have all the answers (or at least I used to think I did). Now I am not so sure.

With the personal challenges I am facing I can’t help but rethink some of my goals. The problem is they seem to shift every day and I can’t get a handle or a clear vision. Maybe that is what fear does to people. I have never really been afraid in my life and now it is edging it's way into my brain. How strange for me to feel so lost in a world that used to feel pretty perfect.

The good news is that spring is here and like a flower blooming, my attitude on life will perk up a lot. The more I remember that life isn’t perfect and that challenges bring dimension to my life and make me stronger, the more I will be happy with the outcome of my circumstances regardless of what happens.

Blessings,
Ms.Money

Read Ms.Money's Keep Your Life in Balance Section so you can focus on priorities and maintain a healthy perspective on what it means to be successful.