I will never forget my very first night of CrossFit. I bought ten trial classes from Groupon in the heat of New Year’s resolution pressure. I considered going for about three weeks in a row before I worked up the nerve to pull in the parking lot. Even as I parked, I wondered if I was making a mistake. I was sure I didn’t belong there. Gym people seem to have their own language, and while they know exactly what a Russian twist is, I was still wondering if it was a type of croissant. They have a confidence that makes working out look effortless, but there’s no hiding my heavy breathing in a gym that small. I nearly threw up on my first night of CrossFit because I was determined to blend in, and I didn’t follow the trainer’s advice to do only half the reps for each exercise.
It wasn’t until two days later, when I couldn’t walk up my own stairs, that I started to think about how rarely we put ourselves into situations where we will likely fail. As a teacher, I regularly preach to my kids, “We can do hard things.” I stress the importance of a growth mindset and the idea that failure helps to stretch us and grow our minds. I started to think about how often we ask kids to show up and try their hardest in situations where they will likely be unsuccessful due to lack of skills and experience. Alternately, as adults, we curate our lives to guarantee success. We very rarely choose to participate in activities that are challenging or have the potential to bring failure, especially if that failure will happen publicly.
There is no doubt we want our kids to be brave. It’s what I want for my students. It’s what we all want for our children. Click here to read the rest at The Glorious Table—>
