Fight or Flight

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
― Thomas A. Edison

The stories of failure before success are numerous.  You will find that most influential people have failed numerous times before making a break-through.  Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, J.K. Rowlings, and Walt Disney are named on 1000 Days of Inspiration as being successful after failing.

I think all of us have failed in some way.  The TEDx Talk, The Skill of Self Confidence, by Dr. Ivan Joseph, AD & coach at Ryerson University, explains how to get through failure.  Even more so, how to learn self confidence.

In the past I have bailed when faced with adversity.  When I started playing soccer and was goalie, that first goal that went in, I quit.  We learn at such a young age to give up or stick with it.  I ended up sticking with soccer and playing through high school. 

So we have this choice to make...Fight or flight.  Another saying that we've heard is that diamonds are made under pressure. 

There are 3 things that Dr. Joseph teaches that we can do to learn and practice self-confidence.

1) Don't accept no for an answer, persist.persist.persist.

• Practice and hard work and influential in self-confidence
• Persistence allows us to build skills and character

2) Positive self-talk

•  We already hear enough negativity around us, why tell ourselves more negative thoughts about ourselves
• Get away from people that tear you down
• Thoughts turn into actions, negative thoughts trump action
• Will you believe those negative thoughts?
• Re-affirm yourself (You are the captain of your ship)
• Practice: Write a letter to yourself (A brag sheet, what are you proud of) and read it when you're navigating a storm
• Catch the good, praise positive behavior

 3) Interpret feedback a certain way

• No one will believe in you unless you do

I will end on a poem that embodies what it means to persist through life's storms.

Try Try Again

by T. H. Palmer

'Tis a lesson you should heed, If at first you don't succeed, Try, try again; Then your courage should appear, For if you will persevere, You will conquer, never fear Try, try again; Once or twice, though you should fail, If you would at last prevail, Try, try again; If we strive, 'tis no disgrace Though we do not win the race; What should you do in the case? Try, try again If you find your task is hard, Time will bring you your reward, Try, try again All that other folks can do, Why, with patience, should not you? Only keep this rule in view: Try, try again.

Race Report: 2014 Club XC Nationals "Opportunity over outcome"

"Just because things didn't work out the way you wanted doesn't mean they didn't work out the way God planned.  Be open to change." -Sarah Jakes

I started talking about the opportunity to race at Club Cross Country Nationals months ago, since State College has a great group of women training post-collegiately.  We run together when schedules allow (most are finishing degrees, Masters and PhD programs) and I am currently working full-time for Penn State University.  Lehigh University is only 15 minutes from my parent's house where I grew up in Quakertown, PA.  Seemed like a no-brainer to organize a team and go!

Thankfully we had two sponsors rally behind us, Nittany Valley Running Club & the local running store, Rapid Transit, sponsored our jerseys.

The team consisted of 5 women: Lauren Philbrook (Willams College), Dani Kocjancic (Penn State), Emily Giannotti (Penn State), Bria Edwards (Penn State), and myself (Penn State).  We have a lot of variety in our group with PR's and events ranging from a 2:09 in the 800 to an Olympic Trials Qualifying time in the Marathon from Lauren.  Bria is currently a stand-out Triathlete for Penn State's Triathlon Club and Emily and Dani just finished their seasons with Penn State T&F last spring.

What an amazing group of athletes, but more importantly they are class acts as people.  We have lifted each other up and supported each other this past year while we get to know each other.  I couldn't ask for better training partners and friends.

We were all thankful for the later start on Saturday at 12:45 PM.  This allowed us to get up without an alarm and to relax a little before heading over to the course.

Another fun aspect of this event was seeing so many familiar faces and competitors.  Not only was the Penn State presence overwhelming, but Oiselle had many members and cheerleaders at the event as well!

Going into this event I knew I was taking a gamble.  A week earlier, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my sesamoid bone that didn't heal properly in my right foot.  (I was mis-diagnosed a year and a half earlier so I continued to run through the pain).  The healing never took place and with a lack of blood supply to that bone, part of it is now dead (black).  The doctor put off my cortisone shot so that I could run in this event to support my team.  The shot will come on Wednesday and we will go from there with a plan.  I'm hoping that I can run pain-free soon!

Cross country always seems to throw you curve balls.  The course had become muddy from the snow and rain in previous days.  With this factor I decided to take a chance and run with spikes.  I knew the lack of support would be a problem with my foot.  I still took the chance.

My team got out well from the start and I'm thankful for Emily, Dani, and Bria leading the way.  We soon funneled into the straight-away and into the first round of "mud-pits".  The first mile went out fast!  Around 2 miles I stepped wrong and the pain increased with my foot.  Unfortunately I did have to stop a couple times to compose myself and continue running.  I felt great otherwise.  I did finish strong and ended up running around 24:00 minutes for 6k.  My goal was to run sub 23:00, which I knew I was physically capable of doing from recent times in races & training. 

Despite my personal battles, I am beyond proud of my teammates and their finishes!  We placed 19th as a team, which turned out to be in the middle of pack.  Overall it was a successful weekend with a great team!

I can't hold on to this race and how I performed.  What good would that do?  I'm reminded to hold on to nothing, and release everything to God.  Failure is a part of my faith walk.  Obedience is faith.

This is an important lesson in life and it is not easy.  I am thankful for the opportunity to run and despite the pain, to finish a race that I haven't done since 2008.  Sometimes just the experience should be good enough, not the time or the outcome.  I have been tested by injury many times and many times it has gotten the best of my spirit.  I am not going to let an injury break me down this time.

As I've spoken before, this is a season of joyfulness.  I'm going to stick to that plan.

What test are you facing today?  Are you focused more on the outcome than the opportunity?

When the meaning of Christmas changed

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than [ourselves]. (Philippians 2:3)

As Christmas is steadily approaching and expectations are all around, are you asking yourself what Christmas really means?  I am.  And this year is significantly different.

In years past, Christmas and it's entirety was focused on gifts and material things.  Even when I was a kid, my sisters could attest to how grumpy I would get if I received less than they did.  The "stuff" that we receive provides joy for a short amount of time.  Those things don't last, they wear down, they break.

As Eric and I have entered our second year of marriage we have learned many lessons already.  One lesson is being humble and selfless as a partner.  We're also learning the gift of healing.  This will mark our second Christmas together and I'm finding that it is grown into something more special than the last.

I think that Eric and I have found more joy in this season because of it's meaning to us.  Joy that is unspeakable.  After reading a blog on desiringGod.org, The Weight of Christmas Expectations, I found the following passage to nail down how I'm feeling:

So as our celebrations approach, let’s resolve to lay aside the weight and entangling sin (Hebrews 12:1) of selfish Christmas fantasies and look to Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6–8)

This is the true Christmas spirit. Christ did not grasp; he served. And oh, how he served.
Advent season is the celebration of the unexpected Jesus coming at an unexpected time in an unexpected place to pay the unexpected, unfathomable price to give us unexpecting sinners the undeserved gift of complete forgiveness of sin and unimaginable gift of eternal life.
Christmas is not about fulfilling our holiday expectations. It’s about celebrating Jesus’s overwhelming accomplishment for us and following in his humble servant footsteps.

We're taking ourselves out of Christmas and putting more efforts towards others, like Jesus would.  Finding joy in service is the biggest lesson I'm learning in my life.

Our church, Centre Church, believes in community outreach and I'm honored to be a part of such a mission.  We served the community with 50 trees on Saturday during our Christmas Tree Giveaway.  We provided families with trees free of charge, just some rainy weather & fellowship to go along.  It was an experience that happened quick, considering the trees were gone in 30 minutes, but the impressions that were made are un-breakable. 

The blog also states: The false myth of this Christmas is that if we can get it to look like the whimsical hazy collage in our minds, we will experience the “Christmas spirit” and be happy.

Eric and I have found gifts to be the center of Christmas in our pasts.  Gifts never made us happy.  This year, we won't be buying gifts for each other, but we will be reading, Advent: The Dawning of Indestructible Joy, and spending quality time with each other and our loved ones.

So I am asking you to find the truth in Christmas this season.  Find joy and have it be unspeakable.