The Football that Taught Me to Overcome Fear
This is a story about the defining moment of my childhood as an immigrant child in America, when an errant
This is a story well-nigh the defining moment of my childhood equally an immigrant kid in America, when an errant football game bankrupt my spirit, and forever inverse my life. I decided and then and in that location not to allow my alienation paralyze me or my fear of failure sabotage my progress, or to let a seemingly insurmountable obstacle — my lack of English — suppress my potential.
I fabricated a choice to overcome fear, and to create my fate rather than succumb to it. I charted a path, threw myself into it fully, and have never looked back.
The Football that Taught Me to Overcome Fear
Inaction breeds doubt and fearfulness. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you lot want to conquer fear, do not sit down abode and call back nearly it. Become out and get decorated.
– Dale Carnegie
The recess bell rang and kids begrudgingly fell in line to go back to class. I followed suit. A breeze of warm, spring air brushed confronting my confront. Summer was coming, but first I had to survive the terminal few weeks of 4th grade. And what's a few weeks? It'southward a blip in the register of time. But for an immigrant kid with, at most, ten English language words at his disposal, it was an eternity.
This was my second calendar week at an American school. I spent the entire recess and the previous two weeks in a corner gawking at other kids playing tetherball in the schoolyard, as well immobilized by fear and loneliness to even utter a sound. I was quite fascinated with what they were doing and wished that I could, too, join in the fun. Only I hadn't dared to say a word.
Struck by fear: The football that changed my life
While in line, a rogue football ricocheted right off my face. It wasn't the hurting inflicted by the football that fabricated me cry. It was the shame over the fact that, while I had been hurt, I didn't even take the courage to say "Ow". My fear of failure, of making embarrassing mistakes and language gaffes, had rendered me lifeless. I froze. And I wept. Tears streamed downwards my face similar a waterfall. I resisted merely to no avail. Kids gathered effectually to see if I was okay. I couldn't even wait at them.
That was the defining moment of my babyhood and 1 that I won't presently forget. It'south hard to fathom that the football, for breaking my spirit that day, would modify my life. I decided at that point to never let fear be a dam that holds back the river of progress.
That summer, I spent every waking hr immersing myself in the English language language. While others were swimming and playing basketball, I was at the library scaring myself with Goosebumps tales and whatever else I could get my hands on. I spent hours in front of the TV watching Sesame Street and other rudimentary children's programming to teach myself the basics. My vocabulary grew exponentially in 3 short months.
In the offset week dorsum from summer, I was taken out of ESL classes — non because of my newfound noesis, only considering I was confidently engaging with other kids, making mistakes and laughing nigh them with my new friends. It was one of the proudest moments of my immature life. A few years later, I was placed in English Honors classes and I haven't looked back since.
Choose your fate
The lesson here isn't to surround yourself with footballs hoping that one would knock some courage or determination or resolve into you. Those qualities be inside you. And sometimes it takes a dramatic outcome — a close call with death, an accident to a family member, etc. — to trigger a change mechanism that allows you lot to overcome your fears. But why wait until and then? And why leave information technology to fate?
You lot have the ability to cull your path, much like I chose mine. I chose not to let a seemingly insurmountable obstruction suppress my potential. I chose not to let fearfulness dominion my life. Once you cross that hurdle, y'all may proceed to formulate an attack programme and execute. Merely y'all must first choose to do and then.
Life is a series of decisions and consequences. Sometimes we make the wrong decision, but y'all can't permit the fright of failure cease you from moving frontward. Yous're jump to make mistakes. And then make them frequently, but in smaller doses.
Because the biggest error you can make is to endeavour to non brand whatever mistakes by doing zippo.
Source: https://www.goalcast.com/football-taught-me-overcome-fear/