How my 7 year old daughter taught me something.
Strange to think, but you can learn things in the strangest ways.
My daughter is 7 going on 27 sometimes. She's been struggling with her maths homework, in fact she's been struggling with it generally for sometime. Her reading and writing on the other hand is on another scale. She cruises the pages of her books like a child 2 to 3 years her senior. She's currently writing a story which currently has a word count of nearly 800 words and still growing. Who knows, maybe I have a budding blogger in my midst.
I have meant to write my first post for a little while, but with so much activity, it's hard enough trying to concentrate on the training, let alone write inspirational blog posts in this fantastic community. But, what has become apparent is that it's all part of the process of our own development.
My daughter tells me she can't do it, it's hard, 'I struggle with it, dad!' She tells me. I keep telling her she can do it, you are just not use to it. If you don't feel comfortable with it, we'll practice it together. All we need to do is practice your 'times tables' for 5 - 10 minutes a day. She does everything to avoid practicing. I call it her distraction techniques and she's very good at it! Why, because I'm good at it too.
What I have realised, this is a process we go through all the time, myself included.
- She feels like she will never do it. Tick, that is me.
- She feels like she may fail. Tick, that is me.
- She feels like she is confused and overwhelmed. Tick, that is me.
- She feels like she is not progressing. Tick, that is me.
But I know the answer is: work on it but, in small bite size chunks and be consistent.
The answer stares us straight in the face, but we just do everything to avoid it.
So.... don't avoid it, just take action and get on with it, embrace the challenges we set ourselves and eventually you will become great at it. To be uncomfortable in something is a good thing, its when we really grow as a person.
I have a little saying 'If its easy.... its not worth doing'
Graham
Recent Comments
6
Love this Graham and I think it is relevant to us all. As they say, practice what you preach. Often times we find ourselves in situations like this with our kids.
We are their #1 motivators and supporters, we tell them anything is possible, but how we ACT is much different in our own lives.
The reality is, kids achieve anything they set their mind to because they embrace failure. They don't take know for an answer, and they don't have naysayers telling them it is impossible to ride a bike, walk, or even to learn how to eat.
What about reading? Learning how to read is much tougher in my opinion than building a business online, but we ALL are able to accomplish this through hard work and dedication...and through the idea that WE WILL learn how to read.
YOU WILL succeed. Just like you teach your 7 year old daughter, get your "kid" again. You can do anything you set your mind to!
Thanks Kyle, sometimes as adults we lose our belief, probably because as an adult, outside influences takeover. But sometimes like you said get your "kid" again. Then anything is possible. The fear goes and the sheer determination and belief returns.
Excellent post 👍🏻 I love the comparison, it’s so fitting & I may use this story myself in the future :)
See more comments
Hey Graham,
Thank you for sharing this great post. your daughter is very lucky to have a father who can monitor her progress closely. Kids have their way of teaching adults and so I have learnt a valuable lesson here. Good night.
Hey, thanks for your kind comment. I do my best with her, and she certainly tests my patience. But yes, we do learn things in the strangest of ways.
She got upset about something else this evening. And all I said, 'we just need to go through things and practice.'
All the best
Graham