Baby Steps

At one point in your life not too long ago, you were a baby. You were crawling around on all fours, quite content and very near to the ground. Then, one day, mom had this brilliant idea to have you stand up like the rest of the giants.

This was different.

You probably looked like you were doing the hula-hoop but without a hoop. This was definitely out of your comfort zone. Once you mastered standing, albeit usually with the help of a coffee table, chair, or one of the giants’ legs, mom threw in another trick…or maybe it was dad.

Now, not only did they want you to only use two of your four mobility devices, they wanted you to try using only one at a time. They called this, “walking.” First step, with the assistance of mom, dad, or another giant, wasn’t so bad. This was only because they were holding you up by your arms and your feet were not really even touching the floor.

First REAL step, on your own, probably landed you back down on all fours. Yet, you got up, with a lot of encouragement, and you tried it again. Second try probably wasn’t much different from the first.

What’s the big deal with this walking thing, anyway? You’re quite good at crawling around, why not just stick with that? But the giants insisted, you must try again.

Knowing, at this point, even in your little baby mind, that there is an extremely high probability that you will fall again, you tried again.

And again.

And again.

Eventually, two steps became three, then three became 5, and with many more falls, many more tries, and many more days, you walked across the room, all by yourself.

Now, it’s been awhile since all that happened, but if you’re walking today, know that this, or something very close to it, actually happened to you.

What does this teach you about yourself?

Several things:

1. You have courage within you. No one who knows that they’ll likely fail, but yet keeps on trying, is without courage.
2. Your comfort zone is safe, but there’s more to life, if you choose to try.
3. When you first try something new, you may not be very good at it. Maybe, some may say, pretty bad at it. Worst case, you’re awful. So awful, it might seem like you shouldn’t even bother. But if you really want to do it, you practice, learn, and after awhile, you’ll get better. And you’ll keep getting better, the more and more you practice.
4. Encouragement is what keeps you going when it seems like you shouldn’t bother. Surround yourself with kind and encouraging giants whenever you’re trying something new that you really want to do. Whoever laughs when you fall or says they knew you couldn’t do it just because you didn’t succeed right away is out.
5. Things that seem absolutely impossible at first will become more and more possible every time you try again, every little step you take. Eventually, maybe not for awhile, but eventually, the impossible will have become not only possible, but it will have become a reality. You’ll be doing it like a pro.
6. Persistence is key. When you want something, keep at it. Know it will happen.

And next time you decide you want to go for a dream or try something new, but you have some little (or enormous) doubts, encourage yourself every single time you stand up and walk across a room because at one point in your life, THAT seemed to be an impossible dream, and now, you do it every single day without even giving it a second thought.

Shoulders back, stand tall, go get ‘em.

By Doe Zantamata

Author of "Happiness in Your Life - Book One: Karma"

Discover the true patterns of your actions versus the worlds consequences that are limiting you from happiness: