I did gymnastics from the 4th to the 12th grade, and this is my first year not participating in it to some capacity. I am a gymnastics coach myself, so I still try to pull a kip or back handspring out of my butt every once in a while, but it's not the same as being in the gym for so many hours a week. I do find myself echoing the words of my past coaches to my own little gymnasts, and some of those quotes guide me, even today, in my day-to-day life.

1. "The skill isn't over until you land it."

I was told this time and time again--opening tucks and pikes too early, forgetting to keep my hands in position when finishing passes on beam, and dropping out of my double turn one-and-three-quarters of the way through without fail. It was easy to think that once you got past the hardest part of the skill, you were done. But there I was, kicking my feet out too early and landing on my butt. It took until I left the sport to realize how true this rings. Just because you have gotten past the hard part, it doesn't mean it's over, and you can't just let your guard down. Sometimes life throws you through more than one loop; you can't just sit back and hope it doesn't happen again after your first big bump in the road. You have to make a change and focus on what you're doing so it doesn't happen again. For me, school gets really crazy in waves and sometimes I struggle to get through. When you're pulling those all-nighters to finish a ten-page paper, it's in those wee hours of the morning when you're almost done and just want to go to sleep that you really test your strength. I always try to remember put all of my effort into everything I do until the very end.

2. "Once is luck, twice is coincidence, three times you have it."

Try and try and try again. You can't always rely on things working out by chance; make sure it is YOU who is making it happen. It is an amazing feeling knowing you gained a new skill in gymnastics, got a good grade on an exam, or started to feel really comfortable with your job. Try to replicate good form, good study habits, or a good attitude so you can say that these good qualities are part of you and so you don't have to rely on the stars aligning for you to achieve a positive outcome.

3. "Point your goddamn toes."

This one has been heard by gymnasts, dancers, and cheerleaders since the dawn of time, but has anyone really thought about what our coaches were really trying to tell us? It's simple... just pay attention to the details. Taking the time to notice the little things that you could be doing better can help in all situations. I prefer this to, "Remember to dot your I's and cross your T's," because when you point your toes, it's not just remembering to do a necessity, it's taking note of little things that will bring you forward, and building muscle memory so this small thing you can do will become a natural part of how you go about your actions.

4. "Squeeze something. Squeeze ANYTHING."

I say this to my kids at work all the time. Granted, it's often because I've just been kicked in the head by a rogue leg or witnessed a combination back walkover/belly roll from someone with an equally combined loose-arm-loose-core problem, but it got me thinking about what this really taught me. I think it taught me to focus my effort on something when I seem lost. If I'm not sure where I should be going or why something isn't working out, I push just a little harder at something I am sure of, and things tend to fall into place. Find one small thing you can focus your energy on and see where it can take you.

5. "You keep doing the same thing and expecting it to change; you have to make it feel different to make it better."

This is possibly the most true. So often I find myself upset with my daily routine or how something is playing out, but I don't know why. Quite often it is because I haven't actually changed anything. I have to remember that it is my own actions that will help me change my situation in life and that hard work is the only way to achieve goals. If you are unhappy with something, you have the power to change it. If things don't feel like they are getting better, it's because you aren't doing your best to make the best of the situation, or you aren't really doing anything to change it.