In high school I was a member of the dance drill team. I had the opportunity to learn how to ride a unicycle my senior year as part of our prop dance. I thought it would be fairly easy to learn how to do. I had my Dad help me put it together and was excited to take it for a spin.
I put my foot on the peddle while propping myself up on the wall with one of my hands. I then sat down on the seat ready to go. In my head I thought, “You got this! This is going to be so AWESOME.” Then I let go.
How far do you think I got? If you can picture a unicycle it hinges at the wheel. As soon as I let go guess what I did? Yep, I hinged forward and lost all balance hitting my hands on the ground.
Oh man did it hurt, not just my hands but also my ego. I was ready to quit right then and there. Obviously this unicycle was not my friend. If it could just have another wheel so I could balance then I’d be set.
I recently learned that there are stages to learning something new. I fell into stage 2. Want to know what stage that is? Trying something new, then blaming a person or situation when you fail and giving up.
Boy did I blame that unicycle. In fact I blamed it so much that I almost didn’t make it into the dance because I was not practicing enough to become as talented as my teammates. One of my teammates also struggled with learning how to stay on. However, unlike me she didn’t give up. Every time she fell off she would start over from the beginning. She continued to stay positive despite falling as much if not more than me.
She fell into the stage of try and try and try and celebrate your success!
That was a reality check for me. I decided that it was better to get hurt practicing then to sit on the sidelines while my teammates competed.
In life we often have many opportunities come our way that will help us change or improve. When we try a new goal if it doesn’t instantly work are you quick to blame the “thing” or “idea” when it doesn’t go as planned like I did? Or are you like my friend who kept trying.
I know it is hard to not quit. I know it is hard to not blame other “things” when working on a goal and it seems to not be working. So I would like to challenge you all to be like my friend.
Try, try, try and celebrate every small success on your path and I promise that you will reach your goal! You will be a more successful person and gain more confidence in yourself. Who doesn’t need more of that?
You can do this! Keep going after your goals and dreams and celebrate every step in the right direction. I know you can be and achieve all that you desire because I have been able to achieve many of mine.
With love,
Talesha