I’m so proud of my oldest daughter, Sonoma. Today was her first gymnastics meet of the season and she’s been counting down the days! Sonoma was the overall champion and got 1st place All-Around! She also got 1st place on Bars and 2nd place on Vault. The first meet is always tough, but also feels great when it’s over and out of the way. Sonoma’s been in gymnastics since she was 17 months old, and continues to be a daily inspiration for me.
Year after I year, I watch in awe as she consistently works hard and improves. Gymnastics is a year round sport, with only 6 competitions during the actual season. She is at school all day from 8:30-3:30, and then goes to practice from 5:00-9:00 pm. She spends her weekends in the gym and the dedication she has to her sport is unrivaled. As she gets older each year, she realizes what she gives up to be a competitive gymnast. She has such passion for her sport and absolutely loves it.
Sonoma left Cincinnati on top today, with a 1st place trophy as the overall champion. But, even in winning, just like losing, there are lessons. Her lesson for today was that after winning, in order to keep winning, she has to be better than she was today. She knows she can win. Moving forward it’s not a competition with other gymnasts. It’s truly a competition with herself. What matters most is that tomorrow she is better than she was today. What’s even more important, is that this doesn’t just apply to gymnastics or athletics. It applies to all of us in life. Whether it’s your job, your workouts, your health, your attitude, no matter what, you just have to be better than you were the day before. You are you’re biggest competition. Beat yourself. Don’t beat yourself up. Growth takes time and patience and it does not come without sacrifice.
