Setbacks or Setups?

In case you haven't noticed, I have fallen in love with figure skating.  The combination of athleticism, artistry and music are a perfect fit for me.

To have a setback is very difficult.  In fact, recently I've had one right after another.

It started with a growing soreness in my left ankle bone.  I had to lay off for a few days.

Then I got very sick with a cold like I haven't had in years and missed a week of skating.

Then my Mother started losing her appetite and losing weight and when the retirement home became alarmed at her quickly failing health, it threw my life into another tailspin.

My siblings came to the rescue to give me a break and over the same time, a new medicine began to help my mother start to improve.

While my brother stayed with my Mother, my sister and I took a trip to Nashville so I could work on my christmas show.  That was an AMAZING trip, but I missed 3 more days of skating.

Now, I was finally ready to get back into my daily skating routine this past Monday.  I skated great, felt great and even had the privilege of having my big brother from New Mexico video tape what I've learned so far.  It was so fun to have him enter into this new journey in my life.  We spent the day together after skating.  He treated me to a big wonderful hot chocolate at a quaint little coffee shop near the rink and then we spent the rest of the day visiting his friends and seeing the beautiful unfolding of Spring in South Central PA.  I took him to the airport in the afternoon and said goodbye.

By evening I could barely walk on my left foot without severe pain.

Today as I type this, I am facing an ankle injury and I have no idea how it happened.  I tried to skate yesterday and it only made things worse.  My coach is guessing it's a sprain and told me to either press through the pain or to stay off if it got worse.  Skating made it worse, so I've had to stop.

This has been a real setback to me.

One of the things I've always heard about goal setting is that you should write out your vision and see yourself accomplishing your goals.  I have been doing that as it relates to skating and it's been working wonderfully.  But my most recent mentor encouraged me to also write out the setbacks I may encounter along the way so that I would be emotionally prepared for them if they happen.  Now at first that seems really negative, but I decided to try it.  Thank God I did.  I pulled them out today to review them.

Here's what he told me to do:  "Anticipate the obstacles you'll encounter (without wallowing in paranoia, list some of the potential hurdles or frustrations you might face as you pursue your goals):"

So here is what I wrote back in January when I was first writing out the setbacks I might encounter regarding my vision about figure skating. (I will share my new vision with you at some point, but not yet).

1)  physical injury, setbacks
2)  skating gracefully may not be as easy as I think - might take longer to learn than I thought
3)  money challenges

My next assignment was this:

"Now, look over the list of obstacles above and write down proactive ways you will deal with them and rise above if they come up.  (How will you brace yourself for disappointments?)."

Here's what I wrote:

1)  Do all I can to recover as quickly as possible and be careful to prevent any injury in the first place.
2)  Be joyful for any progress I make and let it be about artistry, not technicality.
3)  Be very intentional about what it will cost me to do anything music related (be careful about what I spend). Trust God.

Time to apply the lesson.

I could feel myself slipping into discouragement last night when I realized that I cannot skate for a while right now.  I can't continue on with that goal.  I need to rest the ankle and let it heal.

I decided this morning that I will turn my setback into a setup.  I have plenty to do for upcoming concerts and I am in the thick of planning my big christmas show.  (by the way - an official announcement is coming soon, but you can save the date now!  December 6, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.)

I will turn this setback into a setup by:

• Focusing on music and giving my foot a break.  
• Being thankful for this focused time to work on details about the show.
• NOT seeing this as a setback but a setup to succeed at other areas in my life until I can get back to skating.

Yes - that's it.  See this as a setup.

• A setup to get other things done.
• A setup to rest my body so I can continue skating eventually.
• A setup for some extra time at home with my husband.

So many things to be thankful for.  It's the attitude of Tigger instead of Eeyore.

What are some setbacks you are encountering?

What if you start seeing how they could be a setup for something wonderful in your life?

The Better You Get, The Harder It Becomes

That's what my coach told me yesterday about a move I'm learning. 

It felt like the opposite of what should be.  

Shouldn't it get easier?

I'm still pondering the perplexity of it and how that might apply to life.

Truly baffled.

What do you think?

"Just relax. It's ok if you fall and hit your head."

My first introduction to "Sparkles" (my skating friend) was a shared interest in Mandisa's music.  When I recognized the song "Overcomer" that she was skating to, I asked her if she is a Mandisa fan.  "Yes", she said.  "Me too!", I said.

We became friends immediately.

From then on, she became my second coach.  She encourages me, tells me when I'm doing something wrong and chatters on about many things in her life.  I love skating with her.


She will probably provide most of the material for me in this blog because of her bold, child-like approach to 'coaching'.  I pay for lessons with a private coach, but she provides free lessons without knowing it.

She saw me trying the 3 turn one day and told me to "just relax.  It's ok if you fall and hit your head".

In her 10 year old mind, she's perfectly fine with hitting your head.  I'm 47 and not interested in hitting any part of my body, let alone my head.

But I love her attitude and I have been trying to adopt that "relaxed" attitude approach.  It's true, the more tense I get about what I'm learning, the more likely I am to hurt myself worse.  If I can learn to relax, my body will perform much better.

The scripture tells us not to worry or have any anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication to make our request known to our heavenly Father.  He will guard our hearts and minds with peace if we do this.

Sounds like another word from someone who knows what to do.....just relax.

A Noisy Edge

Apparently edges can be noisy.  In my figure skating lesson this week my coach pointed out that one of my moves was 'noisy'.

Ok, so you're telling me that first I have to learn how to go left, right, forwards, backwards, inside, outside and NOW quietly?

Yep.

I am learning that the more I stay on the edge of my blade, the quieter the sound on the ice.  A sure sign of improvement is that I can do it quietly.

I'm learning to speak up more in my life.  That's another 'edge' I'm living on these days.  But it can be sort of awkward, clunky and yes - noisy at first.

For example, being honest for a change when someone asks my opinion instead of fearing rejection when I speak the truth.  It might come out rather awkward and clunky at first, but that's ok.  If it comes out inappropriately I can simply say, "I'm sorry - I'm learning how to speak openly and honestly so it's not coming out so nicely yet."  

Some people have held things in all the time and so when they start speaking up, it comes out 'noisy' at first.  Others have spoken too quickly all their life and are now trying to learn to hold their tongue.  Either way, it's a clumsy feeling at first, but you'll get the hang of it.

Living on the edge can be noisy when you are first being stretched and trying new things.  Keep trying.  Eventually you will glide into a comfortable position and be graceful about it.

Raise The Praise!

Hear samples of the music from the artists who will present a free night of worship and concert at the Winebrenner Theological Seminary on April 5, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.  Seating is limited.  No ticket necessary.  First-come-first-served- seating basis.

Check out this episode!

Just Like Her

My Mother on the day she married my Father.
Isn't she beautiful?

I finally told my mother that I have taken up figure skating.  I wasn't sure how she would respond.

She smiled and asked a few questions.

When she was a young woman and deeply in love, she and her boyfriend, Paul Crider, decided to learn to figure skate together.  They skated at Messiah Academy (now Messiah College).  She and Paul were later married, but he was killed in a silo accident 2 years into their marriage.

When I told her about my new adventure, I asked her about her skating days.  "Could you do any tricks?" I asked.

"Yes.  A few.  I didn't have any lessons.  I just watched what other skaters around me did and tried to imitate them."

We are so much alike.

I think she's beautiful.

The Cycle of The Edge

  1.  My coach has a vision for what I can do.
  2.  He shows me the first step toward accomplishing it. (I record it so I can study it).
  3.  I try to do what he shows me.
  4.  I fail and feel like a klutz.
  5.  He shows me again.
  6.  I try again and fail.
  7.  He shows me why I'm failing.
  8.  I adjust and keep trying.
  9.  Next day, I keep trying.
10.  Next day, I keep trying.
11.  Next day I start to get it.
12.  I start to get it and then fall and hurt myself.
13.  Next day more improvement, though I'm sore from the day before with complimentary bruises.
14.  He shows me the next step.
15.  The cycle starts all over again.

Little by little it starts coming together. Every step I learn helps build a foundation for the next step and soon I have improved on the very first step he gave me in the beginning.  As I begin to master each step, everything improves.

And so that's how it goes in the cycle the edge.

I want to be changed on the inside by renewing my mind because that's the only way I can change.  The Spirit tells me that I can be transformed by renewing my mind. Rom. 12:2

1.  I sense His vision of change for me.
2.  I study how to do it.
3.  He shows me a negative thought that I continually entertain.  ("God doesn't really love me")
4.  I ask Him to help me change it.
5.  He gives me a new thought to think in its place.  (God loves the world, God is love, etc.)
6.  I start to say the new thought out loud. (Thank You for loving me, You are love, I receive Your love)
7.  When left to my natural tendencies, the old thought persists.  (Nah....He doesn't love you..see how awful you feel?)
8.  I keep fighting it and replacing it with the new thought.  (Yes He does, God loves the world, God is love, etc.)
9.  Transformation begins.

This process will probably take as long as learning to skate.  But it will be worth it.

And so that's how it goes in the cycle of the edge.

For more information on changing your thoughts, I recommend this book.