(This is Main Street by Angie, who is working on art goals here on the blog!)
This has been a personal project to blog every day for a school year on goals and dreams. My hope was that I could find a group of people to work with me.
I was lucky enough to find a small, but sincere group of inspirational people to keep me company. We've been using Walt Disney's philosophies or creations as inspiration.
I am no longer blogging daily, but I am notified if comments are posted, and I'll be happy to keep the discussion going!
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art by A.Daley
Please join us and introduce yourself here.
Great job, however you did it!
A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there. With enough effort, he may achieve it. Or he may find something that is even more rewarding. But in the end, no matter what the outcome, he will know he has been alive.
Walt Disney
I'm still mixing Walt Disney's ideals and philosophies with the Olympics. (Sorry, I can really get stuck on a theme sometimes.)
First of all, my goal today was to try to wrap my head around that spirit, courage, and drive of all the athletes I saw today, ESPECIALLY the ones who crashed.
Well, it was a really good day! I went into everything on my list with the attitude that I was going for the best I could possibly do, and it was awesome!
Now, putting that aside just a bit, one of the points that I like about Walt's quote above is the acknowledgement that, no matter what the outcome, TRYING and the resulting feeling of being alive is worth the effort.
I wonder sometimes when, during interviews, I hear comments that suggest that walking away from the Olympics without a gold medal somehow makes an athlete "less than". It really blows my mind when reporters will allude to the fact that a silver or bronze is, somehow, a loss.
HELLOOO! I had trouble getting picked for kickball! Just being picked to compete is huge to me! I'm impressed with every one of those athletes!
In real life, though, we can be influenced by the words or insinuations from people who might be giving us the message that whatever we've done is, in some way, not quite good enough.
I think this kind of thinking seeps into your perception like a bad smell. It can lead to the feeling that what has been accomplished is somehow not enough.
So, in an effort to stamp out the kind of thinking that might not have given you all the credit you deserve....
YAYYYYYYYYYYYY! Awesome!!!!!!!!!!Great job!!!!!!!!!!!Here's a medal!!!!!!!!!!!
Walt Disney
I'm still mixing Walt Disney's ideals and philosophies with the Olympics. (Sorry, I can really get stuck on a theme sometimes.)
First of all, my goal today was to try to wrap my head around that spirit, courage, and drive of all the athletes I saw today, ESPECIALLY the ones who crashed.
Well, it was a really good day! I went into everything on my list with the attitude that I was going for the best I could possibly do, and it was awesome!
Now, putting that aside just a bit, one of the points that I like about Walt's quote above is the acknowledgement that, no matter what the outcome, TRYING and the resulting feeling of being alive is worth the effort.
I wonder sometimes when, during interviews, I hear comments that suggest that walking away from the Olympics without a gold medal somehow makes an athlete "less than". It really blows my mind when reporters will allude to the fact that a silver or bronze is, somehow, a loss.
HELLOOO! I had trouble getting picked for kickball! Just being picked to compete is huge to me! I'm impressed with every one of those athletes!
In real life, though, we can be influenced by the words or insinuations from people who might be giving us the message that whatever we've done is, in some way, not quite good enough.
I think this kind of thinking seeps into your perception like a bad smell. It can lead to the feeling that what has been accomplished is somehow not enough.
So, in an effort to stamp out the kind of thinking that might not have given you all the credit you deserve....
YAYYYYYYYYYYYY! Awesome!!!!!!!!!!Great job!!!!!!!!!!!Here's a medal!!!!!!!!!!!
0 Pixie Dust
Total Comments 6
Comments
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing this!! I get so tired of hearing media types belittle an athlete's accomplishment because they didn't medal or get the gold. On any given day the outcome would be different, particularly in sports where the difference between the top 10 finishers is less than a 10th of a second! Maybe the conditions on the slopes were a little icy one day - that will be an advantage to someone who trains in icy conditions regularly.
And here's another bee in my bonnet (aren't you glad you brought up this subject, Sandy :P), the commentators who seem to thrive by pointing out each little mistake that a competitor makes. Honestly, I just want to enjoy the performance. It reminds me of when I was a music major in college and we had to listen critically to our peers to point out ways that they can improve. After a while I got to the point where it was hard to listen for pleasure anymore.
So congrats to all those that have achieved the privilege of representing their country by competing in the Olympics! And for all of us, win or lose, if we do our best on any given day, it's a pretty darned good day!0 Pixie Dust
Posted 02-19-2010 at 07:08 AM by qesue -
Great points! I was a music major in undergrad, so I know just what you mean.
I'm tired of commentators beating a dead horse was the situation with Lindsey Jacobellis, who made an unfortunate choice in a moment of adrenaline in the 2006 Olympics and fell. When you read some accounts, the fact that she got back up and won the silver instead of the gold is not even mentioned. I'm so sick of the term "showboating" when referring to the split second choice to grab her snowboard instead of shoot past the finish line.
She was about 21, and she made an impulsive choice that didn't work well for her. OH MY! I've never heard of such a thing! A 21 year old being impulsive?? My my!!
I keep hearing interview after interview discussing it, as if maybe her answer will change from "Well, I was pumped up and I made a mistake." I loved this one interview where she had trouble hiding her annoyance.
(Sorry for the rant!)0 Pixie Dust
Posted 02-19-2010 at 09:18 AM by Sandra Bostwick
Updated 02-19-2010 at 09:22 AM by Sandra Bostwick -
Posted 02-20-2010 at 05:38 AM by orionchika -
I know I'm spinning my own blog off topic, but................
Another rant about news commentators. (I'm not even going to mention this guy's name, because his Jerry Springer approach was an insult to the other fine commentators, and there is no such thing as bad publicity with name recognition. I'm going to call him Jerry Springer because it fits!)
The background in a nutshell:
Evan Lysacek wins gold without a quad.
Yevgeny Plushenko wins silver with a quad.
While interviewing Evan Lysacek, Jerry Springer presented some not-so-gracious comments from Yevgeny Plushenko, who suggested that Evan did not deserve the gold because he had not completed a quad. Now, I don't know about that statement and, since it was delivered to the press, of course it should be reported, BUT Jerry Springer used it to try to get a rise out of Lysacek during an on camera interview.
He presents some rather snarky comments to get a reaction.
Lysacek calmly said that he would not respond to comments taken out of context, praised Plushenko's skating, and said that Plushenko had treated him graciously, shaking his hand after the scores came in.
So, Jerry Springer says "It's clear, this has been a good experience for you, as it should be, and you've been very, very gracious, but I'm just going to run a few more quotes by here, because people are interested...I'm just doin' you a favor here! Plashenko goes on to say.................................."
Oh, what a nice friend, doing such a kind favor with no selfish motives at all! Lysacek needs to know this because Plushenko, at this moment, might be gathering his friends for a showdown out in the sandbox! And, after all, it isn't like anyone with access to a newspaper, internet, or television could find these quotes!
What's next? Asking for a DNA swab to see if Lysacek fathered the child of the woman in a tube top who is about to come out from behind the curtain?
I'm surprised he didn't bring Plushenko out from behind the set and get some shots of hair pulling and shouting before calling in security to break it up.
BAD, BAD, BAD behavior! Jerry, you tried to reduce the Olympics to a brawl, but the althlete was too classy for you!
This site has the Lysacek interview and Plushenko's comments. Video | Evan Lysacek Talks to Bob Costas | NBC Olympics
Plushenko is asked, while he is still in costume and out of breath. "Did you think you had done enough to win gold?"
Plushenko gives a response describing the scoring. Then the interviewer pushes. "Does it surprise you that the Olympic champion is the champion without a quad?" Plushenko 's first response to that was to say that it surprised him in response to the direct question.
I wanted to jump up and object because the question was leading the witness!
But that isn't the issue.
TACKY TACKY!
Good for you, Evan!
(This ends this particular rant!)
BUMP! (That's me getting off my soap box!)0 Pixie Dust
Posted 02-20-2010 at 11:35 AM by Sandra Bostwick
Updated 02-20-2010 at 12:27 PM by Sandra Bostwick -
Posted 02-21-2010 at 08:33 PM by TNTWheels -
Posted 02-21-2010 at 08:46 PM by Sandra Bostwick