As I move through life and learn the many ways we people conduct ourselves and make choices I gain a greater appreciation for the energy, imagination, creativity, passion and opportunity we each have to affect each other. They say the World comes to Whistler. I have found this to be true. Whistler is a special place that Mother Nature created and people have molded to create an atmosphere of possibility, it all started because some people had a dream, a imagination of what could be. They dreamed big and never stop dreaming and creating. Because you know possibility is hope and hope is creativity and creativity is imagination and imagination is energy and energy is passion. Passion is what motivates each of us to do what we want to do.
Each of you has a passion for something. I too have a few passions. Most involve getting outdoors and connecting with Mother Nature. Skiing long Vertical Mountain runs with breathtaking views of the world which give me the energy of living and the inspiration to let my legs connect with my muscle memory and brain taking me down the mountain. Taking my imagination and letting me feel like I am flying. We are all empowered to let our imagination take us where we dream of going. I dreamed of skiing when others thought it was crazy, unattainable because of the obstacles that had to be overcome. They did not want me to fail; they were afraid of failure and thus took the approach of not trying and accepting less. However, I saw the obstacles as “things” to overcome which would lead me to the possibility to learn how to ski. You see I saw others skiing on TV and thought I could do that too. I simply had to learn. The learning was less than easy, I almost gave up. My Dad told me to get some rest and go again and it would get easier. After resting I did it again and again. I am still resting and learning, keeping the experience fresh with passion. Because passion is energy and learning is so important to our mental balance.
The World is coming to Vancouver and Whistler now and again in 2010. The world of sport is a place and time when people who have worked, trained and practiced so that they can compete with passion to be the best they can be. They start with imagination and possibility of their dream. They believe in the possibility and make the commitment with passion and accepting they have to learn and learn and be open to new ideas. They have to risk failure to attain success. They have to do it, not try it. When the world’s athletes, media and visitors come to Vancouver, Whistler and Canada they will meet Canadians who are a people that come from many cultures and places in the world. We Canadians are people who are learning and welcoming with each other. The visitors of the world will experience our city and mother nature and learn that we have a unique passion for what is possible and synergistic-ally are working together to create a location and time in history that will inspire future generations.
I know that we all must connect and communicate so that we can imagine what can be. What we can individually inspire and collectively accomplish.
I know that life is a balance and that when I start each day I wake up with the belief that it will be balanced. Each decision risks failure and rewards of success. Each decision affects the other one, from what clothes to wear, food to eat, activities, type of learning and in the end create the ultimate destiny of my life. I am grateful for the failures and excited with the success.
Cheryl MacNaughton
