Accomplishment through Gymnastics

In the spirit of “Wellness on your time,” the blog’s theme, it’s a wonderful thing when in the midst of our busy lives, we recall a childhood memory that will give us insight to a current situation. Whenever I’m stumped and looking for a way to achieve something, I draw analogies from my childhood gymnastics experiences. These are three of my favorite "life lessons" that I have learned from gymnastics.  I enjoy sharing them because they are applicable to so many of life’s worthwhile endeavors.

• Find a “gym” that’s best for you.  Your “gym” is the place you go to practice, learn, and turn your dream into a reality.  Gymnastics is a sport that demands perfection so it is essential that participants have a positive attitude.  Gymnastics practices entail making one correction after another.  Though this can be frustrating, the gymnast realizes that it is all part of the process.  She enjoys her time in the gym because she knows it is “where she needs to be.”  The gym is a place where efforts are never failures because everything that is experienced brings the individual closer to achieving her goal.  

• Reduce big tasks and major accomplishments into small steps.  A gymnastics routine is composed of many advanced skills.  Each skill can be broken down into components and each phase of a skill can be broken down into individual exercises.  A great coach will take an extremely advanced skill and break it into achievable, manageable parts. With guidance, repetition, and a lot of hard work, the impossible skills are made possible. 

• Make a commitment. There is no substitute for a promise, especially one you make to yourself. Great accomplishments begin with the thought, “This is very important to me, and it is worth the effort I must give.” Reaching great heights requires faith in one’s abilities and faith in one’s preparation. When a gymnast is truly dedicated, the more of herself she has to give.  Like many areas in life and gymnastics, the more you give, the more you receive.

Whether one is a participant or an observer, the sport of gymnastics offers many suggestions to help us accomplish whatever we find important.  Sometimes the activities we enjoyed most in our childhood give us an awareness of what we need to do as adults.