Defeat

Wilma Rudolph is one of my heroes. I think she has such an inspiring story. When she was 4 years old she contracted polio in 1944. She had to walk with a brace on her left leg. Through physical therapy, hard-work, and determination, she overcame her disability and began to run. She was noticed in high school as a runner and made the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia as the youngest member at age 16. She earned a bronze medal. She then went back and finished high school and attended Tennessee State University. She made the 1960 Olympics team in Rome, where she broke three world records and became the first American female to take home three Olympic gold medals from one Olympic games. Afterwards, she finished her degree and became a teacher and track coach and dedicated her life to inspiring other young people to pursue their dreams and passions on and off the track.

Photo Credit: Biography.com 

I first heard of Wilma Rudolph when I was about ten years old when I had to read a biography (I read this biography) for a book report in school. Something about Wilma always stuck with me. Maybe it was her difficult childhood and battle with polio, perhaps it was because she was an athlete, or possibly because she was determined. Whatever it was I have always remembered her name. Wilma Rudolph always gave 100%. She had so many obstacle growing up and she defied every single one of them. Her quote in the picture sums up her life and the key to success. Learning to lose is hard. It doesn't matter what we lose at, but what we do when we lose. To be a winner, you have to be willing to lose, pick yourself up, and try again. That is what Wilma did and she accomplished bigger things than she ever dreamed of doing. Without defeat, you cannot learn to be a true champion. Are you ready to lose and be defeated? Because the true champions come from dedication, motivation, and the humility of losing. Be prepared to be defeated, but also be prepared to become a champion from that defeat.

Until Next Time, 

Miss Sass A Frass

Flying Free

Flying is so free. Up in the sky, you are so high up above everything else. The earth shrinks underneath you. People become unintelligible, houses just specks, and skyscrapers small. When I look out my airplane window, I just see the plains of the land, roadways in the distance, and lakes no bigger than my finger nail. I love soaring above the clouds, it puts the world into perspective. Each one of us is just a tiny dot, the higher you fly, the less you see and the focus is no longer on us, it is on the bigger picture the world around. In addition, the higher you fly, the farther away your problems drift. Just as the airplane disappears into a cloud and can no longer see the land, it feels like your problems do the same. It gives you a perspective. Each of us is just a small spec, our problems are even smaller than that, when we take a step back from ourselves and look from the outside in, like looking down at the world from an airplane, you realize how little you are and how insignificant your problems may be compared to what is going on in the rest of the world around you.

This has given me perspective. I am so focused on my own little world and what is going on inside of it that I forget to look at the world around me and see others. When I decide to look outside myself, I realize that my problems or grudges are insignificant, that is why I choose to forgive. Anger and bitterness anchors me into my own little world and debilitates my ability to look outside my own world. When I forgive it sets me free. It is like flying. I am able to go places and see that my world isn’t quite what is cracked up to be and there is a lot bigger picture besides me. But that is why forgiveness is hard. It is cutting that anchor that ties you down to your own world that places you at the center of that space. Because when you forgive, you are thinking of others, not yourself, and you are letting go. That is sometimes the hardest part, letting go. Letting go of the chain that tethers you to your world and the people and problems that make up that chain. But the feeling when you fly –the freedom and lightness –makes it all worth it. Today I am chopping that chain and letting go so I can soar. When I soar, I stop and think, maybe it really isn’t all about me.

 Until Next Time, 

Miss Sass A Frass