Tomorrow it will be two weeks out from the Olympic Trials. I am so excited to compete in Vegas. I have spent many years of life in preparation for this upcoming event. I feel blessed in the fact that I have been able to do something that I love, and also that I have dared to dream. In today’s mostly negative society, people do not give themselves the opportunity to dare to dream. Obviously dreaming is not enough. There must be hours of toil and labor in order to make a dream become a reality. However, I am very grateful that I have had friends and associations who have encouraged and supported me to help me reach my dream. Regardless of what happens in two weeks at the Olympic Trials I am grateful for the opportunity to dream. But what happens in two weeks is still just the beginning of things to come. This next event is a step to take me to the next level to compete on the world’s largest sports stage, the Olympics in

I am working on my dream, and I love it. I hope that you are giving yourself a chance to dream. Believe that you can achieve! Believe that you can succeed! Give yourself the gift of hope, and don’t let yourself give up on that dream because someone wants to discourage you. Think about that next time someone else shares their dream with you. What are you going to do? Are you going to tell them all the reasons why they can’t do it? Or are you going to tell them, “You know what? I believe in you. I think that you can succeed. Let me know how I can support you in your decision.” Imagine how that could affect your relationship with that person! I am sure that it would probably surprise them because most people are told many times in their life that they can’t do something. By helping and encouraging that person think about the boost that you just gave them personally, not even to mention the strength that you just gave to your relationship. If your friend follows through or not, that is on them, but you have the opportunity to possibly be part of the turning point in that person’s life. Constructive criticism has it’s place, but at least encourage someone to take action. If it doesn’t work obviously they will have to evaluate how to make it work, and that is when suggestion is useful.

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes. The first was written in an article by Jim Rohn, “I will climb the mountain. They’ve told me it’s too high, it’s too far, it’s too steep, it’s too rocky, it’s too difficult. But it’s my mountain! I will climb it. You’ll soon see me waving from the top or you’ll never see me, because unless I reach the peak, I’m not coming back.” Another one is by hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

May you be well. Good luck with your dreams. I wish you the best.

The Olympic Trials are just a few short weeks away. I am so excited to be preparing for the Olympic Games in Beijing, China! It is hard to describe the feeling that there is right now in preparation for the Olympic Games. There is just an excitement in the air that is energizing everyone that is involved with the Olympics. I am very grateful for all the help and support that I have received to help me be living my dream. I cannot wait until I get the chance to compete in Las Vegas, Nevada!

I have been staying busy with training, fixing up our house, doing some work on the side, and trying to get organized with some fund raising. Last month, I won the US Nationals, and in doing so I am qualified for the finals of the Olympic Trials. It was my fifth US title and it was a great experience. Shortly after the nationals, I went to Chicago for a team building summit for team USA. It was a great experience to be able to listen to some of the keynote speakers as well as mingling with and getting to know some of the athletes that will be on team USA for their sports.

One of the most beneficial pieces of information that I pulled away from the event was to practice like it is competition and to compete like it is practice. Peter Vidmar, a 1984 Gold medalist gymnast, shared his experience of how at the end of every practice that he would pretend that he was doing the routine for the Gold at the Olympics and how that would motivate him. He said that if he nailed his routine that he would be on top of the world and he could go home and say, “I just won the Olympics.” If he didn’t do as well as he wanted, then that served as motivation for him to keep improving and to get it next time. I have been applying that into my own wrestling, and it has made a huge difference in my training. I feel so motivated and energized when I visualize myself wrestling for Olympic Gold. It is amazing!

Good luck to everyone. Love the game, improve daily, and enjoy the process!