Who Do You Think You Are?
Learning to Value Ourselves More
by @bethvogt
I didn’t participate in school sports.
Oh, sure, I played the required PE activities where you wait to get picked for a team, hoping you’re not last. And I remember the games of kickball and dodgeball during recess in elementary school – back when schools allowed kids to play dodgeball. Kicking a “creeker” – a ball that sailed across the ravine that bordered the parking lot – was the sign of a premier kickball player.
Never kicked a “creeker.”
Never played a team sport – unless you consider being a “pom-pom” in high school a team sport. I was on a team, and I learned a routine – sometimes two – each week that involved marching and moving my arms to music during halftime at football and basketball games.
Yeah, not a sport. But I had fun.
Here’s why I didn’t participate in a team sport: I was always afraid I’d let my team down.
Now, I never told anyone that – I never even verbalized that out loud until I had a child who was all about being part of a team.
My daughter, Christa, has played volleyball since fifth grade. She loves playing volleyball — as in she “finds herself” on a volleyball court — and she finds God there, too. Since she was 13, she’s played volleyball year-round: school ball starting in the summer, and then club ball starting when school ball ends and going until early practices started for school volleyball started up. Throw in some summer clinics and workshops . . . you get the idea.
One day a few years ago we were talking and I mentioned how I never played sports in school. Christa was the first one I told, “I was always afraid I’d let my team down.”
Christa, my born to compete daughter, looked at me and said, “I play sports because I always want to help my team.”
That thought had never occurred to me. Not once.
I love it when my kiddos rock my world. When they make me think – and Christa definitely made me think that day.
Here’s the thing about Christa, when she was first selected to play competitive club ball, she was young. Inexperienced. The coach looked at her that day and said, “You have some things to learn, but we like your attitude.”
I can’t help but believe he glimpsed Christa’s heart . . . the heart that wanted to help her team. His choice influenced her life in so many positive ways, not just by helping her become a better volleyball player.
Of course, I can’t go back and redo the past. Can’t earn an athletic letter for a high school jacket. None of us can go back and do the things we wish we’d done know that we’re older and wiser because we’ve learned a few things from our friends – or our kids.
But for me, I can value myself more. I can believe my abilities are an asset to others, not a disadvantage. I can worry less about myself and look for ways to help others.
What about you? Has someone said something to you that helped you see yourself differently? Helped you see one of your life choices differently? What are you doing about it? Maybe start with a thank you … and then make a change.
Who Do You Think You Are? Learning to Value Ourselves More http://bit.ly/2TX3Ajk #perspective #confidence
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'Jump high and hard with intention and heart.' Quote by author Cheryl Strayed http://bit.ly/2TX3Ajk #perspective #sports
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