The “Yes, I Can!” Approach

Original Publication Date: Monday, November 29, 2010

I had promised not to write anything unless I have something “of importance” to share. However, before I do so, I wanted to thank you all for your support so far. The feedback has been amazing and I’m absolutely stunned as to how many people have taken the time to read my blog!

Now, be honest with yourself for a moment and answer this: As an adult (and we’re assuming that most readers are adults and not just “old at heart”), when was the last time you played “leap frog”? For me, it was this past weekend after nearly 25 years! And let me tell you, it was a tough decision. Why you ask? Well:

1. I felt that I had nearly lost all my eye, hand and leg coordination (not literally, of course!);
2. I was afraid that I was going to embarrass myself in front of my wife, daughter and nearly everyone else that was walking/driving in Seattle;
3. I was terrorized to think that I was placing myself in a vulnerable situation, where I could be hurt or laughed at; what if I missed a jump?
4. You should get the picture by now that I was not at all comfortable with doing something that I was not ready for and/or feared.

After a bit of internal convincing and external daughterly encouragement, I decided to go for it. At first, I did 5 slow jumps over 3-feet-high bars. Suddenly, I felt invincible and did 30 of them one after another without a break! I felt young and alive! I felt an amazing sense of positive energy!

Who knew I still had it in me? I know who: My Daughter!

There’re moments in life that one questions his/her ability to face challenges and do extraordinary things, but with a little encouragement and a lot of self-convincing, it can be done!

As for me, I’m looking forward to my next challenge: Running down the stairs while skipping two steps at a time! If my memory serves me right, I was still in high school the last time I did that.

Thank you for reading,

Armin

Ps. my shoulders and ankles are still aching ??