Another year in the books, wow! I think I say this every year but it’s amazing how fast 365 days go by. As I sit here and look back at the last year, I’m in awe of the things that have happened, the places I have gone, and most importantly— the people that I have been able to share all these memories with.

Over the last year I have been able to learn more about myself than I ever expected. I was able to learn to differentiate between the things in my life that are important to me and the things in life that make me who I am.  2014 was a year where goals were accomplished and where some dreams were forced to be put on the back burner. But this is when you learn to savor the good and put the bad behind and keep on moving forward. Because that’s what life s all about, right?

One of the biggest things I’ve learned this year is that as hard as it to accept it, everything happens for a reason. I know at least in my head I have this idea of how I think everything is going to play out in life. What I don’t take into consideration a lot of the time is that there are some things we just can’t control. However, it’s when those things happen when we realize who we really are as a person. There were things that happened in 2014 that I didn’t have planned and that would change the next few years. Yes, at the time I wished the end result was different  but then I realized maybe everything would be okay. Why?  Because there are so many more things out there. It’s when you stop and look around that you then realize things don’t go as planned everyday to at least one person in the world. They survived, and so will I. I can already say that I have some pretty great opportunities coming up and met some pretty great people since this all happened. So maybe in the grand scheme of things, life was supposed to happen this way. Maybe there is something I cant see at the moment but will realize it in the next few weeks, months or years. Maybe this was a way of telling me to slow down and enjoy the moment cause you’ll only get this moment once.

I am & always will be a people person. I feed off other people’s energy and ideas. It’s the people in my life who make me want to be a better person, athlete, daughter, and friend. It’s the people in my life who inspire me to set new goals, to keep on pushing forward, and to enjoy each and every moment. It’s the people who catch me when I fall and the people who manage to know exactly what to say. It’s because of all of these people, 2014 was one of the best.

I have learned to love writing but I have also learned to love how other athletes put life, goals, and dreams into perspective through other athletes blogs. Although  other athletes may be competing in a different sport, we all seem to have similar beliefs, struggles, and breakthroughs. I came across this blog yesterday and have probably read it 5 times since. It was written by Lauren Fleshman who is a pro runner  (click here to view the whole thing) but this was my favorite part: Time fixes nothing. Time is a facilitator but you still have to do the fixing; Dig into the difficult conversations; Look hard at yourself in the mirror and ask if you’re doing everything you can do to get healthy. If you aren’t currently living the life you want, there is no other way to get there. Time won’t make it happen. So you can either adjust the goal, or give yourself a swift kick in the ass. Those are your only two options unless you enjoy the feeling of eternal tug of war.

So thats it, 2015 is up to you. It’s in your hands now. 2015 will only come once so don’t sit around waiting for your dreams and goals to come true. Take chances, because you never know what will be waiting just around the corner.

2015, put on your dancing shoes because its going to be one busy year! It’s going to be another year full of lots of goals, traveling, and fun but I’m ready for whatever is in store. It kicks off next week with the Disney Marathon followed by a Training Camp at the Olympic Training Center…yes & then it’s back to school for another semester in Arizona!

“Magic is when you live your life the way you didn’t picture it and leave nothing behind.”

MK

From Japan to Canada and all the places in between- Here are a few of my favorite 2014 memories.