When I need a pick me up, a pep talk, a reason to smile, a reminder that I have got this, I turn to a kid who might be 10.
He's learning to ride a bike and his dad asks him how he feels after making progress.
"I feel happy of myself."
When asked what advice he has for other kids learning to ride a bike, he takes a moment to collect himself and steps up onto the curb.
"Everybody, I know you can believe in yourself."
Seriously, how is it that we might have been the wisest versions of ourselves before we hit double digits in years on this earth?
His advice continues with, "You will get the hang of it, I know it."
Not only is he happy with his own accomplishment, he's pepping up kids he's never met who are experiencing that same childhood rite of passage. He's not condescending in his advice, not saying he's better because he learned to ride a bike, just that hey, he finally got it and other kids will have that same moment too.
So much of life is treated as a zero-sum game, if you're good at something, I can't be good at the same thing. The great thing about life is that we can all be great at lots of different things and for the things I'm not great at, someone else is.
When things get hard or scary or frustrating, I think of this kid. Clearly, he's smarter than I am.
In conclusion, "thumbs up for rock and roll!"
He's learning to ride a bike and his dad asks him how he feels after making progress.
"I feel happy of myself."
When asked what advice he has for other kids learning to ride a bike, he takes a moment to collect himself and steps up onto the curb.
"Everybody, I know you can believe in yourself."
Seriously, how is it that we might have been the wisest versions of ourselves before we hit double digits in years on this earth?
His advice continues with, "You will get the hang of it, I know it."
Not only is he happy with his own accomplishment, he's pepping up kids he's never met who are experiencing that same childhood rite of passage. He's not condescending in his advice, not saying he's better because he learned to ride a bike, just that hey, he finally got it and other kids will have that same moment too.
So much of life is treated as a zero-sum game, if you're good at something, I can't be good at the same thing. The great thing about life is that we can all be great at lots of different things and for the things I'm not great at, someone else is.
When things get hard or scary or frustrating, I think of this kid. Clearly, he's smarter than I am.
In conclusion, "thumbs up for rock and roll!"
Want to join in on #inspiremefriday? Do it! And check out Eileen at Leaner by the Lake where she often compiles the inspiration from around Twitter each week. You'll be glad you did.
What's inspiring you this week?
What's inspiring you this week?
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