Our daughter Bella is beautiful. She is also very talented and has the natural ability to sing and play piano. It came very easy to her. She also works very hard at bettering herself in both of them.
We finally talked her into enrolling in CrossFit, and it took a bit of persuasion. She was, and admitted this later, very worried about how people would look at her at the gym because she felt weak, uncoordinated, and was not happy with her body not being muscular. Mind you, this does NOT come from us as parents. If you saw her, you would laugh, because she is 5'9", 120 pounds, and stunningly pretty. She is what many women want to be, tall, thin, and pretty. We got her into CrossFit, and she was just not pushing herself, and we found out it is because she was afraid to fail.
We had a breakthrough one day where I really pushed her with some weightlifting, and I wouldn't let her quit, but I cheered her on to do what she previously thought was impossible. She did it, and tears immediately came. I hugged her and a few people cheered for her. I was so proud of this wonderful girl for finally letting go of the enemy of most adults: the fear of failure. She has now started to learn this as a young woman, and I'm happy about that.
On the way home from the gym we were conversing about why we love CrossFit so much, and it struck us. It's because doing something very difficult physically, and conquering it, does something for your mentality. It teaches you to not be afraid to fail; it teaches you humility because someone is always stronger, faster, or better than you; it teaches you that aspiration to be faster, stronger, and better is a GOOD thing, so go for it; and it teaches you how to succeed.
So, go find something physically you thought you couldn't do, make a plan to do it, and get after it. We just signed Meg up to go run with some women in Canada, which is going to be difficult. She had to commit to it, and she almost threw up thinking about it, but now the chase for greatness is ON, and she's going to win. Me? I am in Kenya now, and I'm going to hike Kilimanjaro. That mountain is going to be mine.
William Danforth said: "The path of least resistance makes for crooked rivers and crooked men." Find your impediment, and go through it, not around. It is the way you should go.