"Mom, if I can only get third place, I would be so happy."
"Your goal should always be first place, that way if something doesn't go as planned, there's always second, third or fourth. Never set yourself short. Always believe you can come first."
This was my talk with my daughter a day before her very first race. She was so very nervous. She was doubting her ability. The "What if?" kind of doubting. I believe we cannot conquer our fears if we don't acknowledge them first so we had a chat.
"What if I fall?" You get up and try again.
"What if I come short?" You tried your best.
Prepare for the worst. Plan for the Best.
When you mentally prepare your child for every "what if" scenario in their minds, their fears will start to fade away. We can only fear the unknown, so once we know they answers to their what ifs, they suddenly become not so scary anymore.
Most of the other little girls probably had similar fears. Some were conquered, some were conquered by them. This is why it's so important to mentally prepare our children, not only physically but mentally. I had never seem my daughter race before. She would tell me she was good and of course I believed her but I had never seen her actually race. It wasn't until I saw her run, how she came from the very back, never giving up, that it finally began to sink in.
Aim for First.
All fifteen girls were lined up, one in front of another, and as luck would have it, my daughter was placed at the very end of the line. This was one of her "what ifs" actually. But we planned on this, so she was prepared to not let it affect her. The race began and one girl fell down on the second curve, bringing girls along with her, another "what if". She was also ready to tackle a situation like this and she weaved right trough them. At this point her pace had slowed down so much that she knew she was now more behind than before and it was here that her determination kicked into gear. Seeing herself in this predicament, she knew she only had one choice. Aim for First.
We planned for this. I could see her focus, I could see her willpower kick in as she began to push harder and harder as she went around the third and fourth curve and she began to pass more and more girls. She wasn't giving up and at that point she spotted first place and she was going for it. I lost sight of her at the fifth and sixth curve because of all the people that were there, but when she came back into view on the final curve, she had now reached third place! You can imagine my heart skipping a beat as she neared the finish line. She gave it one final push and she made it second place. I was screaming like a crazy lunatic!
Second place never felt so good! After physically and mentally preparing, she believed in herself just as much as I believed in her. She was so incredibly proud of herself because she actually achieved more than she thought she would. Just look at that smile! Words can't explain.
What I saw in her was her was sheer determination. I know one thing about this girl is that she is not the giving up kind. When she wants something, she doesn't stop until she achieves it. She also happens to be the most giving person I know as she "Mom, I did this for you." Please, come on, I'm making myself cry right now. She actually said this to me and I'm just gonna end it here cause I'm a crying mess right now.
P.S She's had a taste of silver. This girl is thirsty for gold. :)
I LOVE YOU MY LOVE and mom is so proud of you!!!!