FRUSTRATION > FEAR 

April 2020

In the sport of gymnastics, there are just about two options when learning new skills. You might be super scared to do new skills or you might get insanely frustrated that you cannot get the skill. When afraid you run away from trying and don’t even give yourself the chance to do so. When you are frustrated you turn that into a fire in the belly type of feeling and you GO for the skills. I can specifically remember gaining skills as a kid on many events which include ( I am sincerely sorry for the jargon) back walkover back handspring, back handspring back handspring on beam, my first time doing a full on floor AND vault, the first swing around the bar on a giant and the most recent release move I learned on bars. And, yes an old dog can for sure learn new tricks. One of the best things gymnastics has taught me is that sometimes in life you will be dealt a hand that is difficult and you have two choices to fear the cards or get so frustrated in that fear that you push forward and don’t look back. I have been dealt with cards that have scared me, have frightened me, have abandoned me, have confused me, and most importantly have changed me. My life has been changed because of gymnastics. It has taught me to face challenges head-on and attack them with confidence. Sometimes you are going to be frustrated you can not get that grade you want, or get that internship you have dreamed of, or not got that job you applied, not gotten that call back from someone special, not been able to save a loved one but, what is promised is that you can move forward. Moving forward is not easy in the slightest but what is easy is a change of mind. I am NOT going to let the cards I am dealt define me or my life but I will gain confidence through frustration and push away that fear to keep moving on. Gymnastics is not my whole life, heck it is not even half of my life, but what it is: a learning process. Thanks be to gymnastics for not only teaching me to not fear things but to gain confidence and keep pushing through. Although this only speaks to one thing gymnastics has taught me, there is so much more underneath the surface.