It’s a snowy day in Central Ohio (again!); a great day for staying inside and writing. As I look outside my window, there are two boys sledding and snowboarding on a hill behind my home. The sledding is going very well, but the boys are really struggling with the snowboard.
It is interesting to me how they keep getting up, climbing back to the top of the hill, and trying again; certain that the last trip down the hill taught them exactly what they need for success on the next trip. They are determined to conquer the hill, the board, and the snow, no matter what!
Seeing this really makes me wonder: At what point we lose that childlike determination.
Many adults may not even attempt snowboarding for fear of failure, let alone rise up to try again and again after repeated failures. Even more interesting is that they are having fun in the process! What lessons we can learn from these two boys. They aren’t being deterred by falling off the snowboard. They aren’t discouraged by the softness of the fresh snow. The frigid temperatures aren’t bothering them. They see an opportunity to master a skill and are tackling it with gusto.
Most of us are familiar with the first part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s quote about fear. Here is the full sentence of the quote, from his first inaugural address in 1933:
So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.
There are many things beyond snowboarding that fear stops us from even attempting. What opportunities are we losing? What experiences are we denying ourselves? What possibilities are we missing? How can we be like those boys; trying and trying again, and having fun in spite of failing – or, should I say, while learning?
