I met the toughest little girl yesterday. As some of you may know I am a gymnastics coach and because I have been blessed with patience for little ones I have quite a few toddler and 5 year old classes. Yesterday this little girl from Haiti who spoke very little English walked into my class. I could tell by her walk and the way she carried herself she was very unsure of herself, of what to expect and of me. After warm up we started on the tumble track (a run-way like trampoline) she had a hard time controlling her body and looked like she may cry each turn. I thought to myself, "oh boy I am going to have to give her special attention." I encouraged her after every turn and when she did well offered her a high 5....still no smile. Next rotation was beam. For this class we use the middle height beams which are about 3 feet off the ground. We push 3 together to form an M shape so the kids can walk continuously from beam to beam. This allows us to be able to spot multiple children at once. One her 2nd pass this little girl fell between the beams and hit her side HARD on the beam. I picked her up and asked her if she was ok, no tears, no expression, no nothing. She just stared at me. I again asked her, nothing. So let her know it was ok if she wanted to sit for a moment, nothing. So, I asked her if she wanted to get back up and try again to which she gave me a very firm, "Yes." Up she went and completed the rotation without assistance. Towards the end of class we take the classes over to the cheese pit (a big hole filled with foam used for high bar and tumbling skills). The smaller children usually like to swing from the bar and land in the pit. When it was her tuns she stood at the base of the ladder took a deep breath and headed up. I reminded the entire class that they did not have to swing from the bar, they could jump and play as well. When she reached the top she did not look down, she did not look at me she looked straight at the bar, paused for a moment and reached out. After about a 5 second hesitation, staring straight ahead, she let go to fall about 7-8 feet into the pit below her. She climbed out an repeated this process 4 more times before turning to me and saying, "I am done now." These were the only words she spoke the entire class.
This 5 year old little girl was completely terrified for an entire hour. I did not she her smile until she was all done and running up to her parents after class. "I did it."
Every day as adults we chose not to do things because we are afraid. Often times we do not even know what we are afraid of. Other times we are afraid of things that are almost irrational. We are afraid of what others might think. We are afraid we might not look good. We are afraid someone might say no. We are afraid that we MIGHT fail. Very rarely are we afraid we may hurt ourselves or literally fall down. Yet this 5 year old little girl was completely terrified and stared her fears right in the face and stepped forward. As you go over your goals for 2014 and you think about what is holding you back, as yourself, "What am I afraid of?" Then ask yourself, "Are my fears real?" Honestly what is the worst thing that may happen if you go for your goals and fail? What is the worst thing that may happen if you don't?
Comment below if you would like to share what is holding you back.
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