Off the Cuff with Jacqueline Ross | February 2026

Check out former Canadian WMX Champion Jacqueline Ross‘ ‘Off the Cuff’ motivational column for February 2026

By Jacqueline Ross

“What burns the chaff refines the gold.” | 825_photos photo

Greetings, Humans,

I recently read a line that stopped me in my tracks: “What burns the chaff refines the gold.” I realized I wasn’t entirely sure what chaff was, so I looked it up. Chaff is the outer husk of grain; light, empty, and easily destroyed by fire. Ahh ha! What a line to ponder. Then there’s gold: dense, valuable, and not destroyed by fire. Quite the opposite; fire refines it.

So when we come up against the fires of life: people, places, things, circumstances, what are you made of? Chaff or gold? Will you be uncomfortable yet refined… or scorched by the flames?

Here’s the great thing: we all have a choice. No one can take a vaccine for the trials and tribulations of life, relationships, or practically anything else we encounter. Challenge is an inevitable part of the journey. What I continue to realize is that I get to decide how I experience my experiences. I get to choose whether I show up as gold in the fire or chaff in the fire.

And guess what…so do you.

Old patterns can be converted into new ones. You can start over from experience right now. No need to go back to the beginning. Start where you are. Right now.

It’s getting hot over here,
Jacqueline