[ Hey everyone. If you are reading this, you are either subscribed to post notifications or somehow found this through search. Either way, I really appreciate you being here, and I think you will really enjoy this article. I wrote this back in the fall, and for some reason never posted it. Even though I wrote it so long ago, it’s still super relevant to what I go through most days, and I was kind of surprised reading it back after all this time, how well it summed up my feelings. I hope it speaks to you in some way today. Enjoy! ]

So a while back, I had a really interesting day. It was riddled with my own mistakes and failures, and yet it turned out to be an amazing, encouraging and meaningful day in spite of myself.

I had a video to get done, a custom order to work on, and a bunch of other small tasks to do. I also had work in the afternoon, so I wanted to get as much done as possible before I had to leave at 4.

Here’s a little perspective before I begin. I have a ton of trouble motivating myself at times, working mainly for myself, there is no one pushing me or holding me accountable for my work. And while that is fantastic, sometimes it makes getting motivated pretty challenging. Heck, I am still a teenager, and sometimes I just want to play video games or enjoy the weather outside. And I think those tendencies are there for a reason and are important. So I try not to ignore them completely, but I also have a lot of big dreams that I want to fulfill, and I can’t do that if I waste all of my time on entertainment. So there has to be a balance there, and that balance is what I spend most of my time working on.

So anyway because of the above. I decided to go skating in the morning to enjoy the day, get some energy out and hopefully get motivated to get some work done. I had stayed up late the night before which was a foolish decision, and because I had to have my sleep to keep functioning, I ended up waking up pretty late. This put me behind from the very beginning. Once I was up I checked emails, messages, and social media, procrastinated for a bit, and got all of my messages answered which is always my first task in the morning. Eventually, I dragged myself away from my computer to get ready to go skating. And by the time I headed out the door, it was already like 1 o’clock and I knew I had to hurry.

I had planned to just go for a light skate but ended up feeling good and went on to break my 10k record of 34 minutes which was great. The only problem was when I got back, it was like 2:30 already, which only left me barely any time to get something done.

I did achieve one goal with skating though. I was definitely motivated to work. I just didn’t have much time to work because of the decisions I had made.

Short on time though I was, I still had to eat. So I sat down to lunch with my family and then tried to redeem the day.

I only ended up working on my video. Out of all the things I needed to do, that was all I got to. And I didn’t even get it done at that. So needless to say I was a bit frustrated as I left for work. And because of another bad decision, I ended up being late which I was even madder at myself about. Not a great start to the day (accept skating, that was fun).

So I’m driving to work. And at this point, I am just like man, I have three classes to teach today. I want to make a positive difference in my student’s lives, I want to be a positive role model, I want to give my kids something that they need today. I want to be their friend, their big brother, their coach, whatever they need today, I want to be that for them. And how can I do that when I am ticked off at myself, and at life in general? I really just felt like crap, like the day was a total waste and that I was incapable of doing anything good. So I did something I don’t do very much, and that I really ought to do more. I gave it up to God and asked Him to work through me in my teaching. I asked Him to help me put aside myself, put aside the crap that happened today, all of my mistakes and failures, and just focus on my students. I asked Him to help me find love in my heart for them, to help me give them what they need today, and to just make it about them and not about me. I just had to say, there is nothing I can do about the decisions I have made this day. Absolutely nothing. I can try to do better tomorrow, but there is nothing I can do about it today. But I still desperately want to be a good teacher today for my kid’s sake, despite all of that. And I asked for help. Because I was incapable of being the things I wanted to be on my own.

And man, let me tell you, those classes went so well and were so encouraging. I felt like everything I asked for was granted. I felt like I had all the right words to say. I felt like I really connected with my students, and that somehow, someway, I was exactly what they needed that day. I know I did something good today because it wasn’t about me. I felt broken, and asked for help, not for my own sake, but for their sake, and I think God was more than happy to answer that prayer. Most of the time I ask for things that will benefit myself. But there is power in an unselfish prayer. There is power in all prayer, but I think there is special power in an unselfish prayer. And you know what, God didn’t just answer my prayer for my students. He also allowed me to feel great about it, He gave me the success that I so crave, and gave me such encouragement through these classes as well, that I really needed but didn’t ask for. A ton of progress was made by a lot of my students which doesn’t always happen, and it’s super encouraging to see my corrections helping. I had one student’s father tell me how much he appreciated my instruction. The students in all of my classes listened well and were just eager to learn which is pretty rare. I got to work one on one with some of my favorite students which was awesome. I got to see and coach an old student I hadn’t seen in a little while who is an awesome young man. And I got to coach another young man who was new to the gym and completely self-taught who did incredibly well. That was such a cool experience because that was me about 4 years ago. And my first coach took me in and took my raw talent and shaped it, and taught me the importance of basics which helped make me into the athlete I am today. So that was so cool to be able to do the same with him. Hopefully, he comes back and I can keep working with him, but even if that was the only time I see him, it was an honor to be the first one to teach him some of the basic movements and to explain to him some of the basic principles of parkour.

At times like this, I realize that I have been blessed with some really bright, amazing students, and I am so thankful for them. I teach them a lot of important things, but they teach me even more important things. Today specifically, they taught me how to look past myself, and see what is truly important. I love teaching so much, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to teach because it makes me a better person, and it constantly reminds me of the things that are truly important in life.

So, all in all, a very encouraging day, a very good day, and a very, very worthwhile day, no matter how bad the beginning was.

I guess the lesson here is, never give up, and don’t despair. You never know what opportunity lies around the corner, you never know what impact you might be making, you never know what might come in the next moment. Keep your head up, see the good in all things, keep pressing on, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

I really hope you enjoyed this article. If you did enjoy, please let me know what you thought in the comment section down below, and please consider subscribing to my newsletter below to get notified of future content.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

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