Welcome to Wednesday Word, a weekly linkup for everyone, not just health and fitness bloggers. Each Wednesday you will have a single word prompt to write about.  Let your imagination run free and share with your readers your interpretation of that word, or simply use it as inspiration for your post. Today’s word is determination…  I’d love to have you link up, and if you do, please remember to follow my six simple rules.

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Determination
A quality that makes you continue trying
to do or achieve something that is difficult
~ Merriam-Webster

 

As I watched my little 4-1/2 month old son work for what seemed like hours to turn over from his back to his tummy, it was with determination that that he finally met his goal and proudly reared his head up and smiled at me.

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As my sons grew older, I watched their determination to master the skills needed for many different sports continue. From shooting on goals to perfect their hockey skills to spending hours in batting cages to using ramps to practice over and over until they could jump over a bicycle in their inline skates, they never ceased to amaze me with their level of determination. They were both natural-born athletes and were willing to do what it took to perfect their sport.

Watching as they headed off to attend JRob Intensive Wrestling Camp at the end of Joseph’s junior year and Daniel’s freshman year of high school, though, was the ultimate in seeing how their levels of determination would pay off. JRob is an intensive two-week wrestling camp in Erie, PA, famous for being the most challenging and life-changing wrestling camp in the US. The culmination of two weeks of in-your-face-coaching, technique development, and live wrestling is a thirteen-mile run; and it is only upon completion of this run that campers receive their coveted JRob t-shirt. 

During their two weeks at camp I sent care packages of snacks to supplement their meal-plan and to keep my two calorie-depleted teenagers from being famished. Both Bill and I encouraged them from afar when they got overwhelmed, and it was through sheer determination that neither quit like some of the other campers. They both gutted it out determined to learn everything they could from some of the best collegiate wrestlers in the country and proudly wore their JRob t-shirts home. 

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Earned JRob Shirt

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Purchased JRob Shirt Front

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Purchased JRob Shirt Back

It is through determination that we accomplish our loftiest goals – whether sticking with that difficult camp, perfecting our grandma’s apple pie recipe, or getting that elusive PR. We dig deep inside, we push ourselves, and we don’t quit until we meet our goal. Whether 4-1/2 months or 86 years old, having determination is a great attribute.

 

How has determination played into your life?

 

Grab My Button!

Deb Runs
 
 


 

Next Wednesday’s Word: Hullabaloo