The Penultimate Step (ePub)

The penultimate step is the second to last step prior to takeoff, particularly in the long jump event. It sets the jumper up for the correct trajectory and is critical in launching the athlete into the jump with purpose and conviction. As in sports, without having the preparation and focus in the penultimate step, one cannot channel forward movement into a successful launch in life. Raised in rural Montana, Vanessa Bucklin graduated from UNLV and began her business career in Las Vegas. She married her college sweetheart, moved back to Montana to start a family, and was a vice president of a bank by the time she was twenty-five. She was successful, but she wasn't fulfilled. Despite numerous obstacles, she decided to open an insurance agency from scratch. Her thriving business has since become a cornerstone of her small community, generating jobs, creating partnerships and alliances, serving neighbors, and giving back. She took up running as a way to heal following a tragedy, and has completed eleven marathons and three ultramarathons. In this memoir Bucklin discusses the many penultimate steps in her life-seizing opportunities, searching and driving for answers, and reacting and responding positively to the circumstances. She recognizes that as in running, there are twists and turns in life, but they all come together to define her as a person. Most importantly, she finds that the greatest treasures are not found just at the finish line but rather all along the way. She shares the many lessons she learned as she sought her truth: I am a simple girl raised as a farmer's daughter in rural Montana. I am not rich, famous, or extraordinary in any way, but I have worked hard, been brave and determined, and have had a positive perspective along the way. These same qualities are free and available to anyone who desires success. And if I can achieve success as a mother, runner, and business owner, I believe you can effectively penultimate step into your dreams as well.