"It isn't how hard you kick -- but how you kick."

My daughter, Samantha

Good morning! 

When Samantha was 11, she took a day camp program through the
Milwaukee Public Museum about archaeology. As part of the day-camp
they have group activities and group sports.
I had been out of town for 5 days so tonight we went out for a
"girls' night" to catch up. She was detailing the camp and the
different students and the daily structure of the program.
Sammy is a wonderful child although she is not naturally athletic.
However she has learned that even with sports, part of it is
natural talent but part of it is what you do with what you have.
With that mentality, she has learned to excel. It was difficult for
her because she had to survive being the last person picked and use
confidence and positive reinforcement to overcome the opinions of
others and shine anyway.

In this particular camp there  is a girl who is also not naturally
athletic and was very nervous about the group sport activities.
During kickball she would often miss the ball completely or just
punt a few feet and was constantly "out" without making it to base. 
Today, Sammy pulled her aside and said, "You don't have to be
naturally good at sports or super athletic to be a good player. It
isn't about kicking the ball hard or with force, but with
confidence. Bring confidence to your kick and the ball will
respond." (This is literally how she talks in case you were
wondering-she has a vocabulary and way of saying things that blows
adults away. In fact while I was gone I asked her why she was upset
on the phone because she sounded bothered and she said, "Mother I
am upset about multiple issues.")

Back to our kickball story - so this girl went up to kick and took
Sammy's advice. She kicked the ball hard enough to make it all the
way to second base. Then she ran with confidence on the subsequent
teammate kicks and made it to home-plate for her first time.

Your Turn:
Where in your life have you been thinking you need some "secret to
success" or special talent to achieve the results you desire? Try
following an 11-year-old's advice. Approach your goal with
confidence-- you will be pleasantly surprised at how it responds.
Use confidence and positive reinforcement to overcome the opinions
of others and shine anyway... then make it to "home plate" for the
goal of your choice.

Your Affirmation:
I approach my actions and goals with confidence.