First Place
It's go time. The school year has ended. The latest trip to Mexico is over. It's time to really get things started. I've been looking forward to this moment. Up to now, I've been squeezing in appointments when I can, talking to people when it's convenient, and now I have the time to put my full energy into creating the life I truly want for myself and my family. And I feel paralyzed. In 3rd grade, I remember going to our yearly track meet at the high school and signing up for a 50-meter dash. I liked running. I wasn't half bad. I thought I had a decent chance to do well. As we took our places at the starting line, I became completely overwhelmed. I looked at the girls next to me and something inside of me twisted into knots. I started to have trouble breathing. My eyes got fuzzy. My muscles froze up. The finish line suddenly seemed miles away. I didn't have the vocabulary for it then, but now I know I was in the midst of a panic attack. The starting shot was