By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, September 9, 2015
My daughter just completed a series of volleyball tryouts for her school in which she made the team. Daylyn told me about her friend Jennifer who tried out knowing that she really didn’t have a chance.
You see, Jennifer is not very athletic and has tried out in the past only to be one of the first girls cut from the team. But what struck me was that Jennifer didn’t care. She decided to go for it anyway because it was still a lot of fun. Wow, now think about that. None of us like to expose our weaknesses or enjoy the embarrassment of failure. We get too caught up worrying what others will think and possibly say.
Jennifer didn’t care about anyone’s thoughts but only about the great experience she was having along with her friends.
It’s obvious Jennifer will have a great time experiencing life. She will glide through adulthood never saying “I should’ve, would’ve or could’ve.”
This is a great lesson as parents. How many times do we allow our children to quit or not even try? We teach our children to accept standing on the sidelines or to sit in the stands and watch instead of participating.
Be the example in your family and try something that is out of your comfort zone. Even if it didn’t turn out as you hoped, the journey and the experience will far outweigh the results. Plus it builds confidence to try again or at least attempt another spectacular feat.
So go tell your kids to go for it, and they will build confidence and have fun like a supposedly nonathletic girl named Jennifer.