Skin in the game

I've never been able to find out the origins of that phrase, although I gave a speech with that title once at an Eagle Toastmasters open house.  Here's an excerpt from that:

I don't know what sport that comes from, but sources seem to agree that it means to have a stake in the outcome, to make an investment of some sort in the endeavor. Having some skin in the game shows your commitment to the outcome. It also makes the game much more meaningful, exciting, and involving. It's the difference, for example, between just watching a horse race, and watching a race you've bet on. But it's also the difference between watching and participating. Think of how exciting the race is to the jockey, for example, and the owners and trainers. Not to mention the horse! They all have some skin in the game.  

It's so easy for me to get caught up in the mundane mertutials* of life, that I forget how much fun it is to challenge myself in some way. It's exciting to see what I can do.

I've been working sloooowly on my free weight program, from the book Strong Women Stay Young, by Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D. And I do mean slow. But that's ok. But I've been working on the upper body stuff with 5 lb weights, and realized that it was becoming less of a challenge. So I tried 10 lbs for the first set (2 sets of 8 for biceps curl, overhead press, and upward row) back to 5 for the second. That was tough, but not too tough. So the next session, I decided to try 10 lbs for both sets. I was surprised to find myself getting a bit excited! Would I be able to do it? Would I be able to lift my coffee cup afterwards?

Yes, to both.

This may not be the big thrill of winning the Tour de France for the 6th time, but it was a small thrill for me.

My other attempt at putting some skin in the game was submitting an article to a newsletter. I only did that yesterday, so it'll take a while before I hear anything. But, did it put some zest into my day. I submitted it electronically, so there's a good chance that I'll hear something any day -- even if it's only a canned reply about receiving my submission. But I think about someone other than my sister reading the article and what a rush.

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From Sniglets, by Rich Hall: mertutials are the daily, boring things we need to do, such as brushing teeth and doing laundry.