One Step Closer

I bet each and every one of you have had a wish list.  Possibly it was one you made after fingering through the pages of the Sears or JC Penny's Christmas catalog when you were a kid.  Maybe it was one you made in high school about what you wanted to do after graduation.  Did you get your wish?  Did you give up on your wish because something else or something better came along?  Are you still waiting for your wish to be fulfilled?

I have had a wish that I have been holding onto for the past twenty-five years.  I was told to wait on my wish because I would be leaving for school in a few years.  Then I had to wait because I was in school and had no way to enjoy what I was wishing for.  After school was no better because I had no money or because there were other, more serious matters at hand.  Then there was a few years where I kind of got my wish but it was a little different than what I really had my heart set on.  For the past five years I have kept that wish alive, but I have been too scared to follow through with obtaining it.  Was I too busy?  Was I able to afford it?  Was I ready for that kind of commitment?  Was I worthy of my wish?

Two weeks ago, I took the first step to realizing my wish.  I had to do the thing that scared me.  I had to ask the owners of this thing that I wanted if I could have it.  I talked at length to the person who could help me obtain my wish to show them that I was committed and that I had done my homework and I knew what I was getting myself into.  I visited the place where I would go to get the thing that I wanted and I got to spend some time looking at it, holding it, and admiring it.

Now I have to have someone come to my house and see if I am ready to own the thing that I want and that I have space for it in my life.  The process is daunting, but I am still on track to get my wish granted to me.

Keep wishing, hoping, and dreaming.  Don't give up.

Later Gators!

Liz

I'm Signed Up!

I will be at the Start Line of Ironman Texas this year!  

Yes, I will be there.  I will get to high-five all of my triathlon friends as I direct you over the timing mat and into the water as a Swim Start Volunteer.  And remember, if you don't move fast enough, I get to start yelling at you to get your @$$ in the water as fast as you can because you have hundreds of people behind you waiting to get in as well.

Look for me at the practice swim on Friday and on Race Day!

Later Gators!

Liz

Lost and Possibly Found

It has been over three months of silence from me and I am sure that I have lost all of my creepy Internet friends because they thought I had written this blog off.  I have had exciting things take place in the last three months such as a marathon PR, a cool coaching certification, and a realization that I need to move forward with my training and coaching.  I have also had some rough patches to work through as well such as a return of the hives, a W-2 form that indicated that a janitor or bus driver has a better income, and a need to move forward with my training and coaching.

Did you catch that?  The need to move forward with my training and my coaching are both exciting and daunting.  I have let myself stay in a job where I get paid less per day than a substitute school teacher because I was dedicated to the clients that I have been working with for the past 12 years.  I had to realize that if I went someplace else, they would probably follow me.  But where was I to go?  If I moved to another gym, I would be in the same crummy pay position that I was already in.  I might get a few dollars more, but there would also be high expectations set on me to work hours that I currently do not work and reach revenue goals that I was not motivated to reach.  I had a lead on a private facility that was going to open where I could pay rent, move my clients to and end up collecting 100% rather than 40% of what my clients had been paying to work with me.  Sadly, that lead has yet to materialize.  So for now, I am going to take it to the great outdoors.  I will have zero overhead and I will just tote around my equipment in the back of my car.  I will be working out of client's homes as well.  As I start to make the transition, I will be finishing off client's sessions and quietly advising them not to renew sessions because I will be taking a "summer vacation" for several weeks.  I have had plenty of people that I have worked with that have not renewed sessions due to travel, why the hell can't I do the same?

I will be giving myself until June to get out of the situation that I am in.  I would do it sooner, but I have other poles in the fishing hole that I need to attend to.  My 13 awesome athletes that are racing the Memorial Hermann 70.3 triathlon in Galveston have their race in two weeks.  My amazing 8 athletes who will be going to St.Croix for their 70.3 race have seven weeks left in their training.  My kid has a bit more school left this year.  And, I am still trying to get ready for the San Diego Rock n' Roll Marathon.

I have ideas of what I want to do once I have moved past June, but I also know that I need to get some things in order to tackle that project.  All of this is kind of scary but I have to do it.  If I don't, I will continue to be unhappy with where I am at in my job and feel unchallenged.  I may not be the most successful coach or trainer that is out there, but there are not too many trainers and coaches that have the knowledge that I have and can do as good or a better job than I can.  I have had to work hard to convince myself of that, and a job that does not reward success other than hitting a revenue goal can grind you down.  I am not into making tons of money, I am into changing people's lives.  Ok, yeah, money is a good thing.  I am just looking to be paid what I am worth, and right now my W-2 form says that I am a Dollar Store bargain with a 50% off coupon.

Promise to keep you updated...

Later Gators,

Liz