The Winter Olympic Games will begin in just a few weeks. I love to watch skiing, the bobsled and luge and of course the hockey games. However, the one event that makes my palms sweat just watching it is ski jumping.
Those men and women that climb to the top of that huge tower, sit on a little seat and look down…then hop into those two little tracks in the snow as they almost free-fall down at speeds of up to 60 mph and at the end of the jump, they explode upward with arms to their sides and skis in a v-shape position that allows them to remain airborne for longer periods of time and maximum distance. Then as they descend, they gracefully put one foot in front of the other as they make contact with the ground and ski to a well-controlled stop and a wave to the fans.
Why would a sane person do that?
What I find interesting is that all of that training and all of that dedication to perfecting their art is useless if they fail to “stick the landing”. They can fly in the air for miles past the nearest competitor, but if they don’t land properly, it won’t count.
Now…let’s think about us…
Many of us have made New Year’s Resolutions. We have set goals. We are working hard each and every day trying to take care of ourselves and our families and to make our lives better. All worthwhile and necessary activities.
But fast forward…many years… Think about your last chapter…the last days of your life on the planet. What does that look like? What did you become? What will you leave behind? How will people remember you?
Will you be remembered as happy? Generous? A loving Husband or Wife? A good Father or Mother? Will you be remembered by a few or by many? Did you make life better for others?
I know it’s difficult to think about…but if we want to “stick the landing”…we MUST think about it! It’s going to happen… and we can write that chapter of our life right now! My point is…that we need to think about it and to make that a part of our overall training. It needs to be an integral part of who we are working so hard to become.
I would say we need to start at the end. Figure out the type of person we want to be at the end of our life and then work backward to align our daily lives to live in such a way that would produce that type of person.
That day is approaching! The ground is closer to some of us than others…but we all only get one chance to “stick the landing”…and we still have time…
Think about who you want to become…then get busy…
Let’s stick the landing!