The sun was shining as we skipped along the city streets.
The kids singing loud and proud as they rapped out a tune they had been working on for days.
Then as we waited for the ferry they began rehearsing their dance moves.
I marvelled at their confidence and delighted in the obvious joy and belief each of them had in their own ability to sing and perform.
You only need to watch young children to see how believing in yourself can change everything.
As a child you believe you can do and be anything.
You hear a song and you sing and dance.
Given a stage you act and perform.
Handed a paint brush you create art.
Given a musical instrument you play.
And a cardboard box will be engineered into a house for your teddy.
As parents, carers and teachers we provide endless opportunities for children to explore their interests, to discover passions and to test their abilities.
We recognise the importance of participation and the chance to experience a variety of new things and simply to have a go.
We were all children once.
We believed we were singers, authors, dancers, painters, actors, athletes, musicians, chefs…..
We created with wild abandon.
We challenged ourselves, regularly leaping beyond our comfort zones, just to see what would happen.
We experimented and explored with a freakish curiosity.
We performed and proudly presented our achievements to the world.
As a child you believed. You believed in yourself and you were nothing less than capable and amazing.
Why as adults do we stop having a go at everything that sparks our interest?
Why do we stop challenging ourselves?
Why do we stop looking for new and interesting ways to learn and grow?
Why do we stop living so passionately?
To protect ourselves from discomfort and pain.
We retreat once we listen to criticism and question ourselves.
We hold back after we falter in public and feel the emotional hurt.
We withdraw after we lose and feel ridiculed by our peers.
We pause when we start comparing ourselves to others and think we don’t measure up.
We stop believing we are capable and start questioning if we are good enough.
The voice of self-doubt gets louder, mimicking the words of the well-meaning critics.
Encouraging us to flee and avoid possible discomfort and worse failure.
We tell ourselves we can’t sing, paint, draw, run, cook.
We stagnate, allowing opportunities to pass by, ignoring our desires and turning down the volume on life.
What if you approached life with the gusto of a child?
With exquisite wonder, passion and curiosity.
With a desire to continually experience new and amazing things.
With a belief that you can do anything to your own standards.
Imagine that.
What would you do?
When will you do it?
Make a plan, make it happen.
This is your one great life, believe in yourself and lead it fabulously.
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