In the span of aboot 6 hours, I have given myself 2 new goals in life. It all started with this morning's discussion of last night's Olympics. I was telling Andrew how last weekend Alex had mistaken my purpose for going to the 2012 Olympics in Vancouver. When I told him I was going, he was confused and said I had to have a sport in order to go to the games. Of course I meant I was going as a spectator, but Alex thought I meant I was going to compete. When I told Andrew this, I thought about how great of an achievement it would be if I actually did compete in a future Olympic games. The wheels started turning. I would be featured on the Today Show and I would be living proof that you can do anything you set your mind to. I thought about Geena Davis and how she competed in the Olympic trials in archery four years ago. If Geena Davis can do it, I can do it. Yeah, yeah, I know she didn't actually make it to the Olympics, but she sure came pretty damn close. So then Andrew and I went through all the Olympic sports to see which I could pick up and possibly accel enough in to be in the games in 8 years. All water sports were out...apparently you need to know how to swim for those. Then there were all those sports where college participation would be key: soccer, softball, volleyball, track and field, field hockey, rowing. I was too old for gymnastics, even though probably the right height. So where did we land? Table tennis.
You think I'm kidding...I'm not. I'm not saying this will be my Olympic sport, but I'm sure gonna start here. I've already contacted someone at the Westside Table Tennis Center to find out how to get started. I figure, I'll give it a try...see if I like it...and decide whether I think it's something I can really accel at. Think about it...a real Ping Pong Hero.....ine. Awesome! I really want to give this a try...I can do it! These last two weeks, I've been glued to the TV set, watching all these remarkable people compete and give their all to be the best. I want to be a part of this. I want to compete in the Olympics! My biggest setback is the experience. Most people train their whole lives for this. Me...I'm starting at the all-of-a-sudden-not-so-young age of 22. But why wait until my next life to accomplish something like this, when I can do it now? Why not? What do I have to lose?....Nothing. But I've gotta put my whole heart into this. None of this phase crap that I do all the time. No distractions and no giving up at the first inkling of hard work and practice. This isn't going to be just another phase...I won't let it be. It's not just a dream this time...it's a goal.
The other goal I set for myself today is that I want to get into voice work. People have commented before on my voice, but not as consistently as Andrew does. Thank you Andrew. I've thought about it before...but always brushed it off, unwilling to put in the effort and hard work it takes to get my foot in the door. But the idea of doing voice work sounds really exciting. It'd sure beat sitting here from 9-7 everyday...no offense to my current employment. Maybe I do have what it takes for voice overs...maybe not. I'll never know until I give it a shot. Laurel Erickson from Channel 4 once told me I had beautiful voice and she said she liked the tone...that it almost had a little Southern twang in it...haha, funny. And then one of my Broadcast instructors in school told me I had the NPR voice. They're nice compliments, but I never took them seriously...until now. Andrew has been telling me I gotta do this and now I think he's right. Why not? It's not like it's going to ruin my plans...I have no plans. I don't know what I'm doing with my life. I have no career goals right now. I like working where I am, but I don't know where I want it to take me. I like this industry, but I just haven't quite found my niche in it yet. And I'll never find it, if I don't try other things. My life has been so static lately, it's time to switch it up a bit. I need to actively and aggressively regain control of the direction of my life...I can't just fly on auto-pilot anymore, as easy as that is. I know it won't be easy...and that will just drive me to work all the more harder...to have a focus in life, to achieve these goals, to turn my dreams into my reality. (Have I been watching too much of the Olympics?) Today is the beginning of the rest of my life.
Posted by Mollie Gamo at August 25, 2004 04:16 PM | TrackBack