Imagine you’re teaching your child how to walk. Do you yell at them when they don’t get it right on the first try? Do you get frustrated and give up after a few minutes? Do you tie their self-worth to their ability to run marathons?
Or do you celebrate every milestone, clap at each hard-won step, and give them the space and encouragement they need to try and try again?
When a child is learning how to walk, falls aren’t failures, they ARE how you learn.
You understand that no matter how hard it looks or how long it takes, they’ll eventually catch on. You know that holding onto the furniture for support is going to help not hinder their progress. And you celebrate their growth (no matter how small) because the fact that they’re trying is worth cheering at the top of your lungs as you scoop them up, twirl them around and tell them how amazing they are.
Watching a child learning to walk is the perfect metaphor for learning how to do your work.
Because you are that child—even when you forget.
So, to change the course of your entire day, I challenge you to treat yourself like you’re a child learning to walk for the first time.
That means you:
- Give yourself more kindness, love, support, and grace
- Remember you’re doing something you’ve never done before
- Celebrate each new experience and growth
- Ask for the help you need
- Stop beating yourself up for “failing” because you’re learning AND THAT’S THE POINT
- Have a blast trying out new things and don’t give up
Do it for a day and see what happens. Then try it again tomorrow. And tomorrow. And tomorrow.
Rita ❤️
P.S. If you struggle with this activity, that’s because you’re not getting the support you need. Just like the furniture provides foundation for a child learning to walk, my online community The Essentials helps you face the truths you’ve spent your life denying, ignoring, and suppressing. It’s a safe space for you to come as you are, fall as many times as you need, and still come out on top having learned to walk. Join our amazing community today.
