Fear is an interesting thing. If you let it, it plants it’s seed in your mind and then takes over like an unruly weed in a garden. But if you work through it, you can accomplish goals that you never thought you could. 

I got to watch Mini-Me experience this for herself these last few weeks. She was stuck on the same swimming station for months. The fear of drowning and somehow taken a hold of her, even though there had not been an inciting incident. 

Her coaches and father allowed her to feel and acknowledge her fear. They showed her that little by little, she could do it. Her big brother showed her the nuances of the stroke. I gave her hugs when she felt too scared to continue her lessons. Her Dada (grandfather) patiently let her swim short distances until she trusted that he would always make sure she was safe. She leaned on her people, and because of their support and her hard work, she conquered her fear and kicked butt at swimming yesterday. She finally passed her skill assessment! 

Yeah, maybe it’s only a kid’s swimming lesson. But maybe it’s not. Even as adults, we experience fears that hold us back from reaching our full potential. But if we acknowledge those fears, and lean on those that are near us so that we can work through those fears, it doesn’t have to be that way. 

So proud of Mini-Me’s efforts. Hopefully, she takes this life lesson and keeps knocking those goals out of the park. That’s my hope for all of us.