Saying yes when you want to say no can be very hard. This is especially true when it's cold outside, and your warm, comfy bed is waiting for you at home. But, the other day, I said yes to something I really didn't feel like doing, and I was reminded of how important it is to push yourself to do that.
I picked up my daughter from school around 4:30 p.m., and she asked if we could go rock climbing. She'd never done it, but I had told her about it a few days before and shown her videos.
I love rock climbing. I’ve always been adventurous and more of a leap-before-you-look type of person. Gabby, on the other hand, is not a daredevil. I’ve always thought that was a good thing because having fear keeps us safe. I could have used a little more fear when I was a kid. Gabby is a cautious, thoughtful 6-year-old. She doesn't like rides, heights, sudden loud noises, or dark places. New things take her time to get used to. I didn't have much reason to think she'd enjoy rock climbing.
In addition, to go rock climbing, we'd have to drive for over an hour, late on a Monday night, on the off-chance that she'd do it once we arrived. I wanted to say no.
However, we had nothing else to do, and if she wanted to go, I figured I might as well give her a chance. So, despite my husband saying he didn't see it happening and all the other reasons it was unlikely to go well, I called, made an appointment, and off we went.
When we got there, Gabby said she was really scared. I try to balance honoring her feelings with pushing her because it’s important to me to foster trust in her emotions. So, I told her we could go home and figured I’d eat the cost of the missed lesson. But, she said she wanted to stay.
Our teacher greeted us and got us our harnesses. I went first, and then Gabby tried it.
Not only did she try it, she LOVED it!
That day she did what she felt comfortable doing. When we left, she said she was "so proud of herself she could kiss herself!" That's all I wanted for her...to gain confidence and feel proud of herself.
After that day we started going to the climbing gym regularly, and each time Gabby climbs higher and feels even better about herself. The rewards for saying yes when I had every reason to say no are huge.
Next time you don't feel like doing something, remember that you never know what could happen if you just say yes and show up.
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