strong women

A True Story About Failure and Quitting

Standard

It’s always too soon to quit.

– Dr. Robert Anthony

I’ve mentioned before in some of my previous blogs that I’ve failed a lot in my life. But failing doesn’t always equal quitting.

Everyone knows that it takes failing over and over sometimes, if you really want to perservere.

When I was in the military there was a time when I couldn’t do my “run” (qualifications) in my alloted time. So, they ordered me to attend (Mando PT) mandatory physical training. It sucks because you have to be up at like 4:30 a.m. to excercise every day. I DO NOT MISS THAT!

Anyway. I trained, and trained, and trained religiously, until the day of the re-take PT Quals.

So all of us mando pt, men and women showed up at the gym the day of the re-take PT quals. And I remember the trainors telling us,

“No matter what, don’t stop running until you do all of your laps.”

There was probably about a dozen of us there. So, they started the time on the stop watch, and we all began running our laps.

Immediatly, the few fast runners, were laps ahead of the rest of us slow runners. Some of the ones who did finish their laps in time, ended up vomitting afterwards.

The trainors continued urging the rest of us to finish our laps. But as people started missing their target time, they were just giving up.

Despite that, the trainors kept on shouting from the sidelines,

“Don’t stop! Keep running!,”as a last effort to convince us to finish our laps.

I saw each and every one of the slow runners just throw there hands up in defeat, and walk off the track. I don’t blame them really, they had already failed.

So, now…..it’s just me, Deanna running (chest burning, dying every step of the way). And I was feeling like a dumb @$$. Because everyone that has failed up to this point, has left the track. And my slow @$$ is still running.

I’m hearing the trainors shouting,

“Don’t quit! Just keep going! Finish!”

All the while I’m thinking:

“I’m the only idiot still running, knowing I’ve failed. I’ve missed my mark. I’ve gone way over on my time. And I look stupid!”

But nonetheless, I just could’nt quit. I had already failed the quals. But all that was left, was for me to finish what I had started.

So I ran. It felt unmercifully endless. And I imagine the sight of me was painfully pitiful.

But alas, my tortorous plight had come to its conclusion. Even though I felt like I had to vomit afterwards, I didn’t.

The trainors commended me for not quitting, and for finishing my laps. While I failed to meet the quals, I could at least be proud that I didn’t give up.

This was a similiar experience to our “battlestations training” in bootcamp, where it does not benefit you to give up, and to just quit. I can not stress enough, no matter what you look like and feel like while your doing it, just keep going!

So what if you look like a hot mess! As long as you get it done. Maybe the test isnt, can you finish this race in (insert minutes / amt of time)? Perhaps the real question is, Do you have what it takes to keep running, to FINISH your race?

We can’t win every race we embark on. But we can choose whether or not we cross the FINISH line.

What you get by reaching your destination is not as important as what you become by reaching your destination.

-Dr. Robert Anthony

Quote Taken From,

Anthony, Robert Dr., Think Big A Think Collection,Berkley Aug 1999.

Discerning The Direction Of Your Dreams

Standard

Sometimes I wonder why God gives me these Herculean dreams. I can be thinking that I have it all figured out, and then suddenly God gives me more.

That’s not a complaint really, I’m thankful HE trusts me so much, to assign these special jobs to me. But I am just sitting here talking to God, and maniacally ruminating over every idea and project.

Thinking,

Dear Lord, can I handle all of this? God I have the first documentary to work on… now you bless me with this one. But you’re right LORD, this project is immensly more meaningful, powerful, and massively needed in the Mexican community. God what about my childrens book series? I should be doing that as my PRIORITY. After all, that is my very first project idea. Not to mention my illustrator is patiently waiting on me to finish this. GET IT TOGETHER DEANNA! I tell myself. Tick-tock, tick-tock! Time is of the essence D! Where will I get the resources and finances to fund this? How? How? How? Please tell me now LORD! Yikes! This could take years. Where do I even find the equipment? What about that project I wanted to help my daughter with? They will be grown and gone before I know it. (Big sigh).What about my creative business idea? Can I incorporate that in too, into my schedule and into my life? I have to! It’s mandatory not optional.What if I never finish, or I die? That’s like a permanent, irreversible, INCOMPLETE on my entire life. God please let me accomplish all these wonderful ideas you have put on my mind! It scares me to think what if my dreams don’t come true? What if my time runs out?Etc. Etc.

That would be the greatest tragedy of my life. Those are the things I obsess over daily.

Mix together my maniacal thoughts, with a dash of fear, a half cup of doubt and cup of procrastination. Guess what you get?

You get a lone loba writer, stranded on the deserted island, of the Prisoner Of Words. Cautiously, waiting for the spirits to guide me in the right direction. Waiting to be free to run into the wild once again, to regain my clarity and my vision.

I don’t have all the answers. Most days, I can see the vision clearly, and other days I don’t have the focus. But the appetite, the hunger is never entirely satisfied. Just when I think I’m full, I get hungry for more.

My brain tries to put all the pieces of the puzzle together quickly and painlessly. I try to be strategic in my plans and organization. In the end I know I can do more, and I have to do more. Most importantly I must conquer the fear.

My ideas are as colorful and infinite as Charlie’s Evergobstopper, in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. They don’t dull or diminish.” They keep coming. To this I marvel at my God!

I found some apps this weekend to help me keep track of my writing productivity and projects. I am excited that I’m on a new journey. One I’ve never been on before. One that scares the bleep outta me.

But I feel my spirit leading me. It’s difficult for this lone loba to go to uncharted territory and pave a path. But I must confess that when a dream placed on you brings you to tears, and you feel it inside all of your soul, you follow it.

This is what I am being led to do. Hold nothing back. It’s better to try and fail than to always wonder what if. And it’s EVEN BETTER to make your magic in the world.

Leave your mark. Trust your instincts! They will lead you if you listen!

God Bless. I pray that God is giving you direction in your own creative dreams and goals. And that you can listen to the spirit guiding you.

You love what you find time to do.

-Dr. Robert Anthony

Quote: Anthony, Robert Dr. THINK BIG A Think Collection, Berkley, Aug. 1999

Photo Credit: http://www.freeimages.com,TomTown

OLGA CASTILLO, Born To Box

Standard

https://candidchicanachronicles.blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/fb_img_1498875950312.jpg

I had the most honorable privilege of becoming aquianted with a remarkable woman. Olga Castillo, a 43 year old woman, and grandmother, who shared with me that she is a boxer. Y, orgullamente es Chicana tambien!😍

It was inspirational to hear her story, that I asked her to share all of the most intimate details with me, so that I could share it on my blog. I love women empowerment and this story just embodies all of that woman power!

Olga started boxing at the age of 33. She has been boxing for a decade now. She says she started out by learning the basics and worked her way into competing in matches.

Olga confided with me that she had experienced some hardships in her life and that she was already “FIGHTING ALONE.”

She decided to join, because boxing is in her blood. Admittedly, she confesses that boxing is her therapy.

Maybe to you and I that sounds a little unorthodox, but after you hear the circumstances she endured, it makes sense that she would turn to boxing, a formerly male dominated blood sport, and destroy that fallacy with all her poder.

Women…belong in the ring! Especially if that is where they choose to be.

So let us go back a little.

Horrifically, Olga was molested by her own brother as a young girl. This in turn caused her to feel like she didn’t have a voice. She grew up to be shy and understandably a little insecure.

Once a married adult, she found herself trapped in an abusive marriage for 4 years. In these dark years, she was beaten by the very person who had vowed to love her and cherish her. Thus too, contributing to her insecurity.

One source says, “Sadly, one out of three women are victims of domestic violence. And these women come from all walks of life-yes, all! Whether rich or poor, young or old, whether educated or not, employed or not, religious or not, abuse abides by no boundaries.”(Hunt,June)

I myself, have become disheartened to learn about how bad women are really treated….all over the world. It’s like God has given me a revelation about something that has always been there…but I never paid attention at the severity of it.

Olga says that overcoming her past was the deeper fight. With boxing, she fought to find her voice. She says that with each hit and each punch to the bag, her voice gets louder and louder.

With boxing she has learned to stand up for herself. She is no longer insecure. She is a role model to all the young women who want to pursue boxing as a sport.

Boxing has helped build up her self-esteem, confidence, and strength. She now can stand up for herself and others. And most importantly she found that inner power within herself, that she credits boxing, for giving that back to her.

Check out her boxing moves in the ring in the link below.

https://youtu.be/9ETFT6f6hjU

Olga says the toughest part is staying focused in the ring. She encourages all women to give boxing a try. It was once a male dominated sport, but women have taken it to the Olympics. Which is a big thing!

You never know, you might like it.

She Fights!

Standard

Most of our lives are about proving something, either to ourselves or to someone else.

Ok so I am giving a little sneak peak at what I am working on for my next blog.
It has two to three underlying themes that I really want to cover. I am really excited about this one.

Obviously “boxing” is a dead giveaway with the photo attached, but there’s more to this sport than meets the eye. Stay tuned in the next weeks as I wrap up my research.

Works Cited:

Quote taken from:

Anthony, Robert Dr. THINK BIG A Think Collection. Berkley Publishing. August 1999.

Photo Credits:

Olga Castillo