Even though cheerleading is not an Olympic sport, that definitely does not mean you cannot be a champion in what you do. Also, remember that the evidence of a golden heart and effort is not the material trophy, it is the satisfaction of of knowing that you did your best and have no regrets in your work. Here are a few pointers for the "over-achievers" in life and in CHEERLEADING!
TRUE LOVE!
No, I'm not talking about the one you like to hold hands with. This true love is what your heart desires to do day and night, what you put your whole soul into doing, and the one thing you know you are the bomb at. For me, of course, this is cheerleading. Remember guys and gals, you will only be good at something that you love doing if you give 110% at doing it. Look inside your heart and find out what your true love is, whether it is art, music, or cheerleading. Once you are settled on what makes you tic, put your whole heart and physical being into it. Your true love will always be a love in your life and until you put all you have towards it, it will only be a hobby, not a way of life.
SET GOALS!
Now that you have established what you love to do, set goals you want to reach. Nothing is impossible, but you must be focused and committed to achieving your dreams. In life we need standards and regulations, so set a time limit on when you want to reach these goals of yours. If you are working on a tumbling pass or standing feat, allow yourself only so many weeks to achieve it and determine just how many days you are willing to practice. Your stunt group can set goals as a group to nail that heel-stretch double full down or that perfect toe touch basket toss. Remind yourself that a flower does not grow if you do not water it, so you surely will not get better if you do not practice. In my personal life, I set numerous goals in cheerleading, in school, and for my future. I know that none of them will come to pass if I do not dedicate my time to working on them. I know it will be hard and time consuming, but while you are sitting around thinking and wishing the other girl is out and doing. Light stars that you want to reach and they will burn brightly until you jump that rainbow and achieve the dream.
WHAT COMES FIRST?
Here is the hardest part of anything that you can do. It is called prioritizing your time. Any normal teenager has more to do these days than our grandparents did when they "walked to school in the snow, uphill both ways, barefoot, and then came home to put food on the table for twelve brothers and sisters". Yea, we know! You must realize what is most important for you and especially for your future. With all the busy work on your hands, you must be organized and scheduled to do your best at all of it. The easiest way to do this extravagant feat is simply by writing it down. List all of your interests, activities, and hobbies. Then put them in order from most important to least important to you. Once you have your priorities straight, stick to them. If you are only giving about 65% effort in your activities because you have too much to do, the best idea is to drop the least important and concentrate on what's crucial. Let me give you some personal input. I have more things to do than the rest of my family combined. My life from the fifth grade on has been doing things everyday, non-stop, from softball practice to dance practice to gymnastics practice to cheerleading practice and then again to dance practice. Literally! At a young age I had to decide what was important to me and focus mainly on that. Now that I have released myself from other obligations I can spend more time on my school work (which is second only to my Christian life) and then to cheerleading, my true love. Trust me, it will be hard to give up some things, but you will be less stressed and can GO FOR THE GOLD.
GO FOR IT!
It's established now. You know what your heart desires, you have goals for yourself, your life is prioritized (sort of) and now all that is left is to DO IT! You are involved in this activity, so put everything you have into it and reach for your dreams. In life there are no second chances to go back and redo what has already been done. Once it is all over and done with and you have retired the cheerleading shoes for house slippers, make sure that you can look back with no regrets and rest with satisfaction in knowing that you won the gold. Remember that material trophies and medals will fade away, but the sweet memories of victory and friendships will always bring a smile to your face and warmth to your heart. If you strive for perfection you will get perfection because what you put into it is what you get out of it. If your team's goal and dream is to win first place, remember that the championship is won at practice and the trophy is picked up at the competition. When you shoot for the moon, the least you can do is fall among the stars! GOOD LUCK.
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