...peRfeCtLy iMpeRfeCt...

So today is a departure from my regular positive effort. Today is just me...venting...being real. I tell people all the time that the most frustrating thing about being a trainer especially when it comes to complicated movements...like Olympic lifts...is this: I have been to the classes. I know what to look for and the words to say. I can watch people and see what they are doing wrong, but when I personally stand in front of the bar to do the same lifts...despite ALL the knowledge and hours in training courses run by great coaches...I am still a human being with flaws and I make mistakes too. Just because I KNOW what to do, doesn't mean I always do things right.

I would describe myself as perfectly imperfect...a Monet painting of sorts. From afar I look together, beautiful, like I have it all...but much like those paintings, it's an illusion of sorts. When you get real close...well, depending on the day...I can be a real mess. I'm distracted and forgetful. I'm the smartest airhead ever, and news flash...as much as I want to be healthy...at times I find myself sitting in Whataburger chowing down a Whataburger with cheese while drinking a Diet Dr Pepper. I lose my temper...speak before I think...and I don't get near enough sleep.

It's hard to be a perfectionist in an imperfect body especially when you want to be able to be positive and uplifting. So while I usually try to have something thought provoking and upbeat to say so that I can help other people...today it's about me being ME. The veil is down and the "Wizard" is revealed for a moment.

These are MY REAL life pseudo motivating thoughts after a really long night of working at my computer and an especially CRAP-TASTIC morning! The Japanese proverb says "Fall seven times, stand up eight." Well, I say that when you fall down...sometimes you just need to take a moment and lie there. Maybe you need to figure out how you got there and think about what you need to do in order to stay upright, because let's be honest...falling down SUCKS! It hurts! Or maybe you need to lie there and laugh for a minute. Who cares if people see you looking like a fool! Cut yourself a break and then dust yourself off and get back up and go again!

Someone once said, "The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places." This meaning that if we want to succeed. we have to keep going...and for the most part, that is true...but let me offer another suggestion. Sometimes when we are on the road to success and we come across a "parking place"...maybe we just need to pull in and take a little break for a minute. Maybe we need to take another look at the "map" and make sure we haven't taken a wrong turn before we head back out full speed ahead! Along the same lines, there's a Buddhist saying that says, "If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking." Well, sometimes we are facing in the right direction but we come across people that want to trip us or we find ourselves staring at a wall of adversity. If you come to a wall and keep walking, you will expend a lot of energy and get nowhere. You have to be prepared and strong enough to climb the wall or smart enough to realize that it's time to go around the wall and do something different. I'm not a person that advocates quitting, but every now and then...when something is just not working...you HAVE to change course if you want to keep moving forward.

So what's my point with all this? Life is not perfect and neither am I. Chances are that if you are reading this, you are not perfect either. Because if you were...you probably couldn't stand to read my drivel. It's okay to NOT be perfect. Even people on magazines have cellulite. They just have photoshop to help them out a little. And guess what...even the greatest athletes miss the pass or stumble at times. Motivational speakers get sad, and good people question their faith. It's not about whether or not you struggle or fall or keep walking...it's about doing better and not letting those things bring you down permanently or give you an excuse to quit altogether.

Moment of honesty...I have had a terrible day...a really REALLY terrible day! I felt like I had fallen...and I couldn't get up...and even though I can see the humor now, there was nothing particularly funny about it at the time. There have been a few moments since I opened my eyes that I have wanted to not just pull into a "parking place along the road to success" but veer off the road altogether and drive to a beach in Mexico with my middle finger in the air. But here's the thing, I allowed myself to stay down until I felt ready to stand back up. I didn't run away to Mexico like I wanted. I gave myself permission to have a bad day and be IMPERFECT. And even though my day has been off track and not at all what I had planned...I'm back up on my feet and I'm ready to face whatever comes next. I guess I should be embarrassed to admit all this, but truthfully, I'm not. It takes courage to keep going when things get rough. I could sit around wishing I were more like other people, but that does me no good. I am me and I have to accept myself in spite of my flaws. No matter what has come my way...or how badly I may have handled it...I'm still going and you can keep going on days like this too!