Mindset

What does it take to be an Olympic champion? I have no idea. But I love trying to learn about it from social media posts about AL or EG. Both ladies are cool, calm, and super smart. Whenever they are interviewed, I tune in.

What really struck me as insightful and important was AL's choice to make her figure skating about "her art" and a representation of her identity. I love this so much! It make me think of fiction writing as a means of how I communicate with the world and my physical surroundings -- it's my art.

She was so poised during the whole competition seasons being named as her "comeback." America loves a good comeback story, especially coming from someone who had struggled before. 

She say she "loves to struggle." I had never heard of that before! Often times people talk about success, how it feels to achieve it, and never talk about the struggle behind what was their achievement. But AL is honest, yet tactful. She remains open, yet grounded. And smiling with joy the whole time.

It makes me wonder, have I ever experienced a quiet joy such as that? Definitely not when I used to figure skate. I had quiet joy during my practices, but I wasn't disciplined, and I didn't practice my programs, like ever, and by the time competitions came, I did well a couple of years, and did well early on, but after my injury, I wasn't the same. And dating my first boyfriend also changed me. I wasn't such a serious athlete anymore, I was looking for fun beyond the ice.

But now that I'm turning a certain age this year, AL's interviews make me really contemplate on what brings me joy, a quiet, confident joy, and it's definitely fiction. It's been 20 years since I made steps to take this seriously, I don't regret any of it. Thanks to AL, I'm also thinking about joy, love, and passion in my art and how to express my identity creatively.