Last week I was talking to a 16-year-old girl. She used to play sports and enjoyed them, but one day she lost interest. She said that her friend signed her up for a cheerleading class, and she didn’t want to go.
My question was, why would a girl who enjoyed sports all of a sudden lose interest? So I asked her if she liked any sports, and she responded that she did not like any. I asked why, and her answer was, “I don’t know.”
Finally I asked her if sports were hard or if she had some negative feelings or if she was embarrassed. Then she told me that she was embarrassed to fail in front of people.
It reminded me of when I was immature not a teen, but immature....
I was afraid to asking questions, to give my opinion, of speaking in public, of being underdressed, of dancing, of being myself. I was afraid because I was afraid of failing in front of people.
Back then I never achieved anything big and fulfilling. It is sad that many of us are living in the dark and not trying to achieve our dreams because we are afraid of what other people think. Because really, we are not afraid of making a mistake, we are afraid of what other people think about us.
I told her, "failing is a step closer to your goal..."
For successful people to be good at what they do, they need to fail many times. Without failing, there is no success. Failing is a step closer to your goal. It is part of any success.
You must practice and practice and practice and continue practicing until there aren’t any more mistakes. But mistakes are necessary in the beginning. What do you think would have happened if your mom had hidden you in the closet when you started to learn how to walk because people were watching you fail many times? You wouldn’t be walking. Every time you hit the floor you got up and tried again and again and again. There was no doubt you would become an expert at walking.
Now, you can start practicing your cheerleading at home alone, in front of a mirror, with your mom as a judge to avoid minimal mistakes in public. However, you will still make mistakes in public. So what? Get up and do it again until you master it.
This is how Michael Jordan became such a great player...
He lost many games and missed many shots, but those failings give him courage to continue practicing until he mastered the game.
Don’t let your fear of criticism stop you from living your life and enjoying and realizing your potential. There is no failing except when you give up because of other people’s opinions. remember, once again, that failing is a step closer to your goal.
After our conversation she seemed more confident and ready to start practicing cheerleading skills this week.
Think about what are you afraid of. We all are humans, and we are all going to make mistakes. Make the mistakes and become a better person thanks to the mistakes you made instead of living a life of fear. fail to get a step closer to your goal.
Custom Body Fitness is located in Glenwood Springs CO and Carbondale CO