My word. . .

I have been thinking long and hard about my "word". The TRIgirls have been given an assignment to come up with one word that they will use as their focus for 2008. Choosing a word has proven be much more difficult than I initially thought. There are so many words that partially define what I'm aiming for but and it was really very difficult for me to find one word that fully encompassed everything that motivates me, encourages me and truly inspires me.

Then suddenly, I figured it out. My word is:

APPRECIATE

I know. Initially most people will think, what the heck? It's not the typical inspirational word like "courage", "confidence" "believe" or "persevere". But, when I thought about it, it really seemed to fit what I was focusing on this year.

The official Webster definition states:

appreciate

1. to be grateful or thankful for; I need to remember this more often. I am thankful and completely grateful to be on this journey. When I find myself complaining about waking up early, or the social plans I may miss or the difficulty involved in training I need to remind myself that I am truly fortunate to be able to do this. And, I need to show my family and friends how much they mean to me. I am so lucky to be surrounded by the people I have in my life. I want to give back to them this year and show them how much I appreciate having them in my life.


2. to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect: ie: to appreciate the dangers of a situation. this, too, is something I need to focus on this year. Whether I'm running, biking or swimming I need to be fully aware of how significant every moment is. These are not moments to be wasted but should instead be cherished. I also need to appreciate what my body can -- and can't -- do at any given time. I want to really concentrate on how to listen to my body and to train smart this year.


3. to raise in value. In doing all of these things I want to raise the value of myself as a friend, a wife, a mother and an athlete. By the end of this year, I would like to know that I have become better in my own eyes and in they eyes of those that I love.

So, that's my word. APPRECIATE. Tomorrow as I'm sitting on the bike, I'm sure I will have to remind myself to appreciate the experience more than once!!