I read constantly. If I don't have 3 or 4 books going at once, check my pulse, because something is wrong.

I listen to cd's in my car on my daily journey. Not usually music, but many about success and about building a life worthwhile, some about business and marketing, about fitness, and mental skills, etc... but most importantly, at any given time at least ONE if not more of the 6 cd's in my cd changer are to enrich my life. I have 5 books on my nightstand currently: The Dip (Seth Godin), For One More Day (Mitch Albom), The Magic of Thinking Big (David Schwartz)--I've read this one a few times in my life, and my Applied Sports Psychology text which, by the technical understanding of behavioral control and operant conditioning or antecedents, aversive or extinction control, anyone would use this as an effective form of sleep enhancement.

It's not hard to do either of these things. I just hit play while I drive... or I pick the book up off the night stand and read before I fall asleep. (These nights are now easier than most with the 4:30am rise time).

We, as a society, spend so much time filling our heads with useless, unimportant and even damaging "stuff" that it is so critical to make sure we feed our souls with something worth while.

So off of my soap box and onto my food for thought this week:

I am reading this book called "The Dip"...And wow, I was actually fighting my eyes last night so I could read more. I didn't want to put it down. It's a very short read and I just got it yesterday. I am about done with it.

In it, Godin talks about how every new project or job or undertaking starts out with high momentum, excitement and involvement. Then, it starts to dwindle, it gets harder, and all of a sudden you wonder if it's worth pushing through and sticking it out. "The Dip" is when you hit that point, that temporary set-back that could be overcome if you just keep pushing.

It's funny, but we were always taught the saying "winners never quit and quitters never win"... While I support that in many ways, Godin suggests that it's not entirely always right. He talks about what he calls a "cul-de-sac", where no matter how hard you try to push out of it, there is no way it will ever work. This is when he explains you should quit.

I remember a mentor of mine sharing a quote with me that I hold dear to this day, and some of you have heard me use it... "When the horse is dead, dismount." Get off when it's time, and move on to another horse. Who wants to ride a dead horse around... that's the cul-de-sac mentality. You surely aren't going to get very far. 

So "The Dip" is all about when to quit and when to stick it out. It's amazing how simple the thought is, and how many times we may have found ourselves in these situations wondering what to do, knowing that quitting didn't seem like an option. We would even feel guilty, like we were letting people, including ourselves, down if we quit.

So I liken this to the building issue I have been going through. I knew we were in a dip, but what I know realize is that it was a cul-de-sac and there really wasn't a way out. Even if we got the place, it was smaller than I had wanted, the parking wasn't great, and the logistics just didn't work. We were set on making it work there because we didn't see another option. I am a firm believer in things happening for reasons sometimes we dont fully understand up front.

As it were, I went to meet a realtor on Friday at a location off of rte 82 & 30 in Valley Township. It actually quickly made me forget about anything else and realize that this could be the PERFECT spot for what my bigger vision was.

So much so that I am meeting with the owners today and going to look at the option of finding some investors or financial backers that may be interested in helping us make this dream a reality.

My vision has always been big. I know what we offer and could offer in a facility like this would be nothing anyone around here has ever seen.

I have so much to give, and it is my hope that we can find a way to make this happen so I can continue to give it. I believe I have only scratched the surface of what I can deliver to the youth of this area.

So the search is on... for financial backing, for help, for knowing I see the light at the end of the tunnel and getting out of this dip is how my vision becomes reality.

Godin states, "No one quits the Boston Marathon at Mile 25"...

I believe we are at mile 25. I see it, I feel it, and it has kept me awake all weekend. There is a HUGE light at the end of the tunnel. There are big options and an abundance of possiblilities.

I am hoping to find a way to make it happen.

But either way, I am finding my way out of the dip!

AND... I am Enjoying the process!

--Coach Jen