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How My Son Taught Me The Most Important Skill I Used to Know
This skill is the difference between stalling out or climbing up in every area of life.
Is the Goal the Destination or the Journey?
Recently, my toddler began riding a balance bike (a bike with two wheels and no pedals or training wheels). Watching his progress from hesitantly walking alongside the bike to riding faster than he can run has been inspirational. Through the falls, tears, and endless attempts, he always gets back up, never needing prompting to practice, and never giving up.
This got me thinking: How does he do it? How does he wake up every morning and go after new skills with a smile on his face? How can he fail time and time again, but continue to move forward? What keeps him from getting discouraged and giving up?
After mastering crawling, I watched as he tried to walk. These attempts at walking were much slower and more difficult than if he just crawled to his favorite toy, but that didn’t matter. The failure of not quite making it drives him. The pain of failing makes the taste of success so much sweeter. The pride on his face when he finally took those first steps or lifted his feet while riding the balance bike could never be achieved without falling.
