Today my daughter Hannah asked me "What if I had choosen to do gymnastics instead of dance? How good would I be?" As I was answering her with the typical parent response of "Well, I don't know. You choose to focus on dance, because that is what you like the most." She responded with "But now I'm not any good at it and everyone else is better than me." What she said is true. Her peer group that she was with 2 years ago is better than her now.
Really it's about having an opportunity presented to you and choosing whether or not to accept it. Hannah has had more than ample opportunites to become a gymnast. She has spent hours and hours at the gym since she was born. (Probably the reason she has a love/hate relationship with the gym.) But she also had the opportunity to dance and she choose to persue that. Her hard work is paying off, Hannah is a wonderful dancer and that truly is her talent - not gymnastics. (kind of tough for a gymnastics coach to admit).
Hannah's "what if" question is a tough one, but it is a great reminder that every single day, I am presented with opportunies to choose from...play with my kids vs. work...exercise vs. eating...read vs. TV...satisfy my husband vs. me...
I struggle with making decisions and committing to them. Maybe if I think of them as opportunites, I'll be more likely to choose the right one like Hannah did.
