Do you remember learning how to ride a bike? I fell a lot and scraped my legs in the process. But I wanted to learn so badly that I kept trying. I didn’t accept defeat until suddenly I managed to ride to the end of the street. Can you imagine the expression on my face? I think I had one of the biggest smiles ever and I shouted ‘yeaaaa I’m riding’! I didn’t know it then, but very soon afterwards I would be able to go around the block and a bit later I’d be doing it without my dad keeping an eye on me. I felt free, independent, capable and strong. The scrapes on my legs slowly healed, disappeared, and the struggles at the beginning with them. What a triumph! 

A few year later, I watched people playing basketball, and thought wow, look at how high that ball is going in the air and then swoosh into that circle called a hoop. “Amazing! I don’t think I can even throw the ball that high” I thought. Eventually my mom bought me my own hoop, it was much lower to the ground and my shots were erratic and without any form or consistency. But I thought, why not just have fun and see how many baskets I can make in a row. 

One day, many years later, the hoop was much higher, and I was stronger and bigger. I could reach the hoop with my shot but I wasn’t accurate. That’s when I decided to shift my focus to form and how I was releasing the ball. I think I shot the ball thousands of times over the next year. Every now and again I’d notice I could make more shots in a row. Suddenly, I realized I was making most of them! That’ when I realized that in both riding a bike and basketball I had reached a point where I wasn’t thinking about failure, shame or loss. I wasn’t thinking, I was just doing it. 

Now I am learning Polish, it’s overwhelming. But…I remember the bike and the basketball. 

At first, I was so scared I couldn’t even try it, from the stress of failure, of embarrassment and especially ridicule. 

But then, I realized that falling didn’t hurt so much, missing the hoop wasn’t terrible. The more I tried the less scared I was, the less stressed I was, and the longer I stayed on the bike and continued shooting.That’s when I tried to push the limits…How far can I go? 

How far can you go with your English? 

It’s not about the goals and aims you set yourself, It’s about the journey you take and the new person you become. 

I encourage you to read the blog on what all that entails.

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