A lesson of life by way of skiing

My coaches tell me all the time..  "slow down, slooooow down!"  Which to me it has been one of the hardest things I have had to do.  The reason for this in my opinion is that no one has ever really told me that before.  Quick life recap: As a child, the fastest I got from school to home the more time I could spend playing soccer, pogs, or video games.  As an adolescent, living in Grand Rapids Michigan, I always had to rush to avoid the blistering cold or humidity, and finally as a young adult in the Marines where they constantly tell you that you should say to yourself all the time "Im up, they see me, Im down!!", well my whole life I have spent it in the driver seat of the most Mexican Nascar car the world has ever seen. (think about it)

Its funny but it's so true.  The slowest you go, the faster you are..  In Nordic skiing, and in life as well.

Willpower

A quote by Ayn Rand reads: "every man is free to rise as far as he's able or willing, but the degree to which he thinks determines the degree to which he'll rise.”

This quote to me means a lot for a couple of reasons. First, willpower will get me places but without training or expanding my mind the capacity of my will will always stay at the same level. Second, and what I think it's most important, is that i think willpower is one of the most powerful tools a man can ever have.. If its true willpower. Willpower can not be brought or mixed by retribution of the mind, or else it fails.

Retribution is when a man does something to correct a wrong doing in their life, thus fuels himself with negative thoughts that in turn might seem like willpower but its not. Willpower ends where the gun begins.

Philanthropic nordic madness

As I was competing in my first ever 15k classic cross country race, there was a ton of people cheering for me and giving me mental propulsion to keep going forward.. Needless to say it felt really good.

After I finished it came to me that Cross country skiing is one of the only sports I have ever competed that pretty much everyone wants you to do good no matter what you represent, come from, or even if you are in the same competing field.

Philanthropy means "the love human life". It is great to know that in the sport I have chosen people love life as much I do. It makes me content and it makes me look forward to many other races to come.

Selfishness

My whole life I have been tough that if you don't take something somebody else will..  That of course is very true when you are actually able to take whatever is there to be taken.  If there is no a way to obtain what you need I believe you have two options, work hard and eventually put yourself in a position to get what you need or be jealous of those who have what you need and hate them for it..

The latter of those options is the base for all selfishness..  Life, for some weird reason, will always give you what you need, but if you are brought up being jealous of other people's accomplishments or possessions once you are able to possesses those things you no longer own those things, those things own you, thus slaving you.  Freedom is not just given.. Freedom is taken..  And it takes a lot of work to obtain it.

Let the good times ROLL!!!

The first time I ever put on cross country skis I knew I loved the sport.  Well after a summer of hard training and a bunch of skate rollerskiing I kind of forgot the feeling it first brought me..  Until now.  Today I did my first official classic sprint and it just clicked!!  I did not have the best of times, which at this point it does not really matter to me, but I had a blast doing it.  Give me more!!!  MORE I said!!  It's on, its freakin' on like donkey kong!!!

The purpose of life

Life..  What a disaster.. Right?  Well,  I think that depends from which side you look at it.

Purpose..  Is what makes you get up every morning..  Is it?

The purpose of life is to learn not to suffer and die, but enjoy yourself and LIVE.. Even if my life is a disaster, by everything I got in me, I enjoy getting up..  And will do so until my last dying breath.

Sanction of the victim

For far too long WE try to matter when we should be humble.  For far too long WE speak when we should listen.  For far too long WE let other people guide us when they have no idea where they going themselves.  For far too long we LET people hurt us when WE should make ourselves happy.  Of course, none of this could happen without ourselves letting them do it, so are WE to share the blame?  WE did, WE do, WE will.