Just like Learning to Ride a Bike!
Two years ago, I watched my stubborn, independent daughter struggle to learn how to ride a bike. She didn’t want help from me or my husband. She wanted to figure it out on her own, which is how she wants to do most things!
It was painful to watch the weeks before when some of the kids made fun of her for having training wheels. She claimed she didn’t really care what they had to say and wasn’t ready to learn no matter how much we encouraged her. Then the day came! She was ready to do it… alone!
I watched from the window as she tried and tried. After 2 days of trying and trying, she was going and going and never to be stopped again! As I watched that weekend, I noticed 3 things that led to her success that I encourage us all to think about when we strive toward goals.
We only achieve goals WE decide for ourselves! It didn’t matter what the other kids were doing, when we thought she should learn, she only did it when it was right for her! Think about this as you plan your goals. What do you want, not what other women want, or what coworkers want…. What do YOU want?
We go further by encouraging each other than by criticizing each other! In my brief summary of that weekend, I didn’t include the most impactful thing in getting my daughter to be successful in her goal of riding her bike. It may have been naysayers who teased her for having training wheels which sparked a bit of anger to make her prove them wrong. I think it was the friend who stayed with her all weekend and encouraged her as she learned. I watched this friend give demonstrations, cheer her on, even lay on the ground and do absolutely nothing but be with her while Viola practiced and practiced! She never left her side and was there to celebrate when she finally got it! Who is there to tear you down? Step away from those people as much as you can and instead surround yourself with those who will encourage you! But more importantly, what do you do when you see friends trying to achieve a goal? You may not understand the goal, it doesn’t matter because it isn’t about you! Just encourage them and cheer them on!
Persistence! Two days of getting nowhere! Two days of frustration….. hours and hours while she tried and failed. She never gave up. How long do you push and persist? How quickly do you give up? How big and meaningful is your goal?
So as we settle into the new year, ask yourself these questions:
What do YOU want out of this year, this month, this week, this day?
Who is going to support you and who will you encourage this year? How will you show your support?
How will you persist when it gets tough?
