I just pulled up my blog and I can not believe that it was over a year ago that I last wrote. What the heck have I been doing... well, the list is long and distinguished. Okay, maybe long, but not necessarily distinguished.
A few weeks ago I was a guest on "Home Based Business Live" with my partner in crime, Trish Hetherington. Click on her photo to see and here the show. I have to admit I enjoyed it very much. And, I hope to be able to do it again! Hint, hint! Actually, it was my second time on the show and both times were fun... if you ever get a chance to be a guest on a radio show, go for it!
I shared a little bit about my summer with my son on the show and it was such an inspirational time in my life I wanted to share it in more detail in my blog today.
This past summer was amazing traveling across the country with my son. My husband says I put over 5,000 miles on our car (he is the numbers guy) but doesn't take into account our flying miles.
As most of you know Riese is an ice hockey goalie and has aspired to play in the NHL since he was 5. Through the years you watch your child development and in the back of your mind you hope their dreams are fulfilled not matter what they are. The dream either becomes a passion or it fades away with time. No fading for us and so I guess we just have to join in.
At the end of the season last year Riese confessed that he wanted to go into the 2010 season playing JR hockey... what ever that meant. So, as the high school hockey season came to a close and high school was out for the summer the pursuit of JR hockey began.
What I want to share with you about my son was something that you rarely see in the everyday person... a never ending desire to accomplish his goal. I numbered them because each event there was a decision made and you can see how many decisions were decided upon over the few summer months.
1. He wanted to be in the JPS Show case here in Denver and we signed him up and paid the money and they never cashed the check and when the day came they announced who was on the list his name did not appear. Of course we were curious and we followed up with them. Riese was too young and the JR Teams were not looking for "93"' goalies. Hummm... do we tell him that and his goal is ended before it even started.
2. But, he really wanted to show his stuff so we called around to have a few of his coaches contact the JPS on his behalf and low and behold he was on the list. (Many times it is who you know!)
3. He went to JPS and had a great showing and was approached by several teams to come to camps and the owner of one team said that if Riese would show up he was on the team. Heck, we did not know any better so, we did a little research and flew to the East coast.
4. The coach never spoke never spoke to Riese or I off the ice and the last day we were there they basically offered him the 3rd goalie position and we kindly denied.
5. We sent Riese out to his goalie coach in LA. He spent several weeks on the ice and one day a player called a coach that he knew and the coach called Riese's goalie coach and before you knew it, we had 3 days to get him from CA to MN. With much deliberation we decided to fly him home and then him and I would drive through the night to get to MN early morning of the first day he was to be on the ice. Riese stood on his head and made a good showing. Made it to the All Star Game and then he was cut. He was very close to making it on the team. They are keeping an eye on him.
6. Next tryout was a few weeks away and Riese needed a rest but in two weeks we were on the road again and back to CA for yet another tryout. We arrive on a Sunday and for the next 5 days it was intense... two days of goalies and then he playing two games a day for 3 days. Wow, he gets cut.
7. We leave CA and head to OR for the next tryout. We are positive that this team is going to take Riese. They saw him at JPS and they offered him a Tender with the team and they even have someone call and interview him for an article on their website. We are so impressed and are sure this is where he will play his first season of JR hockey.
Before tryouts even start Riese has received some information that he is probably not going to make it on the team. As you can imagine, Ken and I are not only exhausted we are shocked. Oh, and I left Riese there with all his stuff. At this point we had no idea what to do. I asked Riese what happened... his reply was... Mom, I am not looking back, I am only looking forward, find me another team to tryout for.
Here is where I get a little teary eyed. Most of us would have given up on the 1st cut, or maybe the 3rd or 4th cut. Heck, even one of the coaches mentioned that he hoped Riese was not not discouraged... to Rise's face.
8. We packed him up, after he was officially cut from the team. He did not even make it to the All Star Game, yet another shock on our part.
9. Back to CA to work with his Goalie coach again and he went in front of yet another coach and team. It was way too expensive and so that did not work.
10. And with only a few weeks before the season was to start Riese headed to yet another tryout. He packed up his gear and a few days worth of clothes and jumped on a bus for a few hour trip. Three days later he managed to get a contract and the season is finally on it's way.
I learned a lot this summer traveling across the country with my 17 year old son... if it your dream, if is your passion, never, never, never give up... even when someone tells you that you are too young to play Junior's and you probably won't make it on a team.
In the hockey world you never know how long you will be on a JR team and they can trade you or cut you at the drop of a hat or if you are not playing well they may sit on the bench. But, when something means so much to you... and you have worked so hard do you throw it away because of a little set back. Do you sit on the side lines for a while and get better and then go for it again? Do you watch and learn.
I think of myself in business and look at what I have accomplished over the past year. Success comes in many different forms. Sometimes it comes in the fact that you know you are on the right path. It comes in the fact that you have surrounded yourself with the right people that are like minded. Or, it comes in the fact that you are doing something that you love. Everything else will come.
Hopefully this story will help you when you think about quitting or think that your dream or goal is out of reach. Hopefully if your dream or goal means that much to you... you will never, never, never give up!
I have read Several great books over the past year.
"Rich Dad Poor Dad," by Robert T. Kiyosaki
"Think and Grow Rich," by Napoleon Hill
"The Multi-Level Mangler in King Arthur's Court," by Greg Arnold
"The Energy Bus," by Jon Gordon
"The Richest Man in Babylon," by George S. Clason
And, I am currently reading "The 4-Hour Workweek," by Timothy Ferriss and this has changed my life and I am not even done yet!
I will be back soon... I am on a mission and you will soon figure it out if you stay tuned...
