Haley Smith: January 2013

I have a thing for quotes. My walls, notebooks, and even my textbooks are covered in them. That being said, it seems fitting that I should start 2013 off with (you guessed it!) a quote:

"If you're going to be thinking, you might as well think big" - Donald Trump

If you just let that sink in for a moment - percolate, if you will - then you might realize that when your thoughts and ideas become big, you shed a lot of self-imposed (and perhaps subconscious) limitations. That's pretty cool, right? I mean, the realization that if you THINK big, you can DO big.

So that's the plan for 2013; Thinking Big and Doing Big. If all goes to plan, I'll be able to apply this motto to a lot of different aspects of life... school, biking, and everyday livin'. Who knows, maybe the key to success is to think of each day (or "everyday livin'") as something BIG; something full of POTENTIAL; something... special?

All pretentiousness (aka douchiness) aside, 2013 should be quite the year. I am BEYOND excited for the season to start. Having said that, I like to think I'm wise enough to not wish time to speed up. There are still a few months left to "get fast" (Arizona and California are on the agenda in the upcoming months) and I intend to use them!

Now, what you've all been waiting for... My New Year's Resolution! As everyone who knows me knows, I am afraid of a distinctly large number of things. So, I decided to make my NYR to conquer my fears. What are these fears, you may ask? Well, I have comprised a list. Here goes.

Sharks. Watching Jaws when you're 5 is just a bad idea.
The ocean
Rivers
Lakes
Really just any open body of water where things could be lurking in the depths (or the shallows)
Cliffs
Cliff jumping
The dark (yes, actually)
Boats
Drops (on my bike)
Mussels/oysters
Snakes (but only if they're touching me)
Crowded places (ie. the city... there are just way too many people)
Situations where my first instinct screams DANGER (97% of the time this is just an overreaction)
Space (the kind that Astronauts explore)
Airplanes... or more accurately, being airborne at 35000ft
Needles/getting blood taken (hopefully I just won't have to deal with this fear, or else someone is going to have to deal with a passed-out Haley)
Scary dogs (don't get me wrong, I love non-scary dogs)

There are a whole host of other things I am afraid of, but most of the ones not listed are completely rational (I promise). I mean, it doesn't really make sense to conquer my fear of skydiving, does it? It's perfectly rational to not want to throw oneself out of an airplane. Sooo, I am going to try and conquer the IRrational fears in 2013! I'm sure I will think of more to add to the list, but that's all for now. It's a daunting task, but I think I can probably-most-likely handle it.

Just to finish off I want to thank everyone for making 2012 a kick-ass year. Obviously, there where times that things didn't seem so great, but a positive attitude is everything - and what's the point of fixating on the negatives? I got to experience and accomplish so many things this year, and I am grateful for all of it! Thanks to Norco, Havi, all my teammates, both coaches I worked with this year, my family, friends, and everyone else! Life is what you make it, and you guys are making it awesome.

Just a little picture recap of 2012, to fulfill my sentimental side: