Grounded Tiger

I'm a female University student who studies in French in Western Canada.

I plan to go into Business, majoring in Human Resources and minoring in International Business.

Then again, I might go and major in Psychology with a minor in General Business or Sociology - depends on what happens.

 

My hobbies include drawing and writing (I'm my harshest critic in both, thus making myself a crappy artist and writer), randomly picking out CDs at the local library and stuffing my iPod with them, reading, rock climbing and swapping stories with my friends in our University's common room.

My goals include finishing University, getting involved with my Campus Food Bank, my Business student's club, Toastmasters and a huge list of other organizations, becoming financially free (long) before marriage and getting fit (aka getting my perfect body).

Currently, I'm engaged in the following:

• Fitness Bootcamp 3 days/week
• Karate (Goju Kai) - Currently a white belt
• Bilingual Business Student Club

Heck, yes, tigers.

As you may have guessed, "Grounded Tiger" isn't my real name - though I wish it was. It's a name that I half-gave myself during one of the most transformational experiences of my life. And yes, my life to date is fairly short. The full story isn't important, what's important is the meaning behind the name.

Prior to the spiritual/personal-growth course I attended which landed me with the name "Grounded Tiger", I attended another spiritual/personal-growth course. One of my course-mates had already gone through the course I was about to go through and advised me to begin thinking of a name which would embody what I stood for and what I saw in myself. She suggested "Quiet Tiger" - I'm a fairly soft-spoken person under serious circumstance and I've been told that I have quite a bit of ferocity at times (good ferocity, o'course).

When I finally attended the course, we were given our naming exercise. We were told to sit down, close our eyes and wait until a name hit us. Then we were to write it down on our nametags (as is the nature of all courses) and begin decorating it to our hearts content.

The thought of "Quiet Tiger" turned around in my head a bit, but something didn't fit right.

 

Then it hit me. Grounded Tiger.

Tiger's still there, in all her powerful and stripe-y goodness, but she's now grounded instead of quiet. Grounded - paws planted firmly on the Earth, rooted in herself and her personal identity, her values and beliefs, her love and her calm heart.

I felt it really fit.

 

Being grounded in the current society is important - and something we should all strive for. We can spend entire years zipping straight past incredible opportunities to hurry up and stop. Why work ourselves hard to enjoy a projected concept of "freedom" in our 50s if we can just slow it down a bit now and enjoy real freedom at all times?

Staying grounded is, as with all things healthy, hard.

I'm currently in University, searching for a job, hoping to get an exchange to Quebec and trying to live a full life all at once - that can have me flying by some peaceful moments at 110km/h. But I find that in situations where I've been grounded and felt that calm, still feeling, I speak powerfully, feel stronger and connect easily with the ones I love.

So. Grounded. Tiger.

 

I think it fits.