JM

I have successfully completed my final requirements for my Jump Master's course. As usual just under the wire. I am very excited to complete my next phase of training and moving into complete certification in this rating as well as SSI. These requirements are very difficult to achieve, and attempting to complete them both in one season is even more so.

I have learned a lot about myself and about follow through. I have always know that dedication is the key to success, but have usually had more realistic time frames to work with. So the moral, anything is possible, even if improbable. However good judgment is also important. Reasonable goal setting is also key.

The picture is my calf muscle. You can tell how much fun you had and how hard you tried by the bruises you collect. It's is my bragging rights.

1's a wish, 2's a kiss, 3's a disappointment

Remember those silly rhymes and fortunes from back in the day? They covered all manors of concepts. Such as, the number of sneezes you had.

1's a wish, 2's a kiss, 3's a disappointment, 4's a letter, 5's something better, 6's go get a kleenex.

If you have 2 forks at your place setting there is a wedding in the future.

An itchy nose means you will kiss a fool.

An itchy palm means you will come into some money.

And so fourth. Just silly little things that really have no bearing on reality. I don't know why I thought of it, just kinda popped into my head. But stranger things have found their way into my mind.

Failure

How we handle failure defines us. Understanding how to handle failure is not the same as actually handling it. We choose to succeed or fail, before we even step into what is testing us.

There are many great quotes regarding failure and success. Examples such as "if you want to succeed, double your failure rate". "you never truly fail until you quit trying" or perhaps the most apt "you set yourself up for failure".

The choices we make determine if we succeed or fail. Embracing this and living accordingly determines how we handle failure. All very fancy talk, but what does it have to do with anything.

2 choices. Someone I know chose to handle failure in a negative way. This person decided that they deserved a certain level of accomplishment and the evaluator did not give them what they expected. This person proceeded to make it very public that they disapproved of the evaluator's ranking.

The other choice, taking responsibility. Looking at yourself and deciding what you could have done to succeed. It shouldn't even occur to us to blame the evaluator. Their job is to be impartial, to provide guidance, and to provide feedback. The effort and work we put into things determines if we pass or fail. We succeed or fail by what we do.

Make no mistake it is a choice. One can chose to take responsibility, or one can chose to blame others. What will your choice be?

Yuck

I have been wickedly sick the last few days, but have managed to drag my sorry carcass out of bed long enough to blog. Hope you have enjoyed, I am going back to bed.