When I was a young child I was very shy. Adults would ask me questions and I would hide behind my parents and let them speak for me. I didn’t like people noticing me. I was afraid to do anything wrong at school. I was afraid to make mistakes. If I was brave enough to ask for something and the person said “No”, I would burst into tears. Remember those school performances where sometimes one “lucky” child would get picked to go up on stage? I would be wishing I was invisible.
I remember having a couple of confident friends. They wanted to do something and they did it! I thought they were AMAZING! As well as being confident, they were great encouragers. When I was with these friends I felt I could do anything. I even ran a school cross country once due to a friend cheering me on (one of my greatest sporting achievements, those who know my running ability will understand). As I look back on my life, anytime I have excelled in something there was usually someone who told me they believed in me and gave me a gentle push towards the goal.
I have missed a lot of opportunities in life to do things that I would have loved to do simply because I was too fearful to step out into the unknown and try. So I really appreciate those people who have believed in me, showed me which doors to open and assisted me along the way. Now I am teaching myself to take the opportunity when it comes, where in other times I would have hesitated and missed it. Better late than never.
I want to encourage my children to be the best that they can be, to embrace their fear and be brave. When I tell my children that I think they’re incredible, or something they have done is wonderful and that I believe they can do whatever they put their mind to (within reason and age appropriate – no one wants a 5-year-old driving a fire truck) they usually rise to the occasion. They amaze themselves and their confidence grows.
I want to teach them while they’re young to be bold, face the fear and run through those open doors!
