Thoughts on having a go

Thoughts on having a go

I had the privilege of attending my daughter’s first-grade assembly and athletics day last week. It was such an exciting moment watching all these tiny bodies in their slightly oversized uniforms — most of them nervously thrilled by the newness: new teacher, new class, new friends. The entire experience was filled with numerous opportunities — opportunities to grow. (And yes… Mum was pretty nervous too!)

My little girl took part in the athletics afternoon, and I’d love to share a few reflections:

There were many firsts — and, naturally, many opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them.

During shot put, she picked up the tennis ball on her first attempt and held it in her left hand (surprising, because she’s strongly right-handed). She threw — it wasn’t a great shot by any means. The coach stepped in, gently moved the ball to her right hand, gave her a few pointers, and she tried again. Still not perfect… but she was beaming with excitement and happily moved on to the next event.

The pattern continued through the afternoon.

Afterwards, I asked her what her favourite part of the day had been. She told me all about it, then added thoughtfully, “I didn’t get the shot put right the first time.” We talked about how the coach had helped, how she had learned from what didn’t work — from her mistakes. It turned into one of those beautiful, unplanned teaching moments for both of us.

Here are the key reminders I took away — lessons I think we could all do with hearing from time to time:

• Most of us like things to stay the way they are. We like predictability and things that are known. But change and newness are packed with fantastic opportunities to grow — if we choose to see them that way.
• Our attitude toward our own mistakes teaches the people around us (especially children) how to respond to theirs. I’m not talking about repeating the same errors carelessly, but rather those that occur when you step outside of what is known and comfortable. When we approach mistakes with a “live and learn” mindset, we permit others to do the same.
• Curiosity is the key to a full life. Most of those little ones had the best afternoon because they were fascinated and curious about everything — asking endless questions and really listening to the answers.
• Embrace the discomfort. Around age 7, we all begin to notice that learning new things requires effort… and effort feels uncomfortable. We need to keep reminding ourselves (and our children) that the discomfort is temporary, but the growth it produces is worth far more than the fleeting unease.
• Try — and try again. And again. If something sets your heart on fire, don’t give up. Try differently. Try with help. Try with others. Just don’t stop trying.

This year, keep challenging yourself and deliberately seeking out newness.

You will make mistakes.

You will have moments of “What was I thinking?”

You will feel stretched and overwhelmed at times.

But one thing is certain: if you stick with it, you will realise that you are capable of far more than you ever imagined.

Thank you for reading.

If you are having a difficult time with getting comfortable with the uncomfortable, get in touch. You can reach us at info@purposeworks.co.za.

At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.