Isn’t it great to have a person in your court or cheering you on to achieve your goals? Even if you fail miserably, you always know that those people have your best interest in mind so that you are connecting while achieving your goals. On the other hand, when that person realizes that you’re totally off the track, going down the wrong road, or just lost in your thoughts, that that person can help you get back on track with what needs to be done to achieve your goals. You totally trust them and they trust you totally.
Who is that person in your life? Many will say it’s their parents or siblings. It can also be a best friend, a teacher, a coach, or someone you trust. In my case, it was my mom. She was my cheerleader and always had an attitude of positivity. She was the one who connected me up with all the people involved in school as well as my speech teacher, my sports coach, and my academic advisers. Even when things appeared difficult in her life, she always found a way to cheer people up and help them get through difficult situations. I was always amazed how much energy she had and was such an uplifting person.
For instance, my parents wanted me to be involved with a team to help me associate with others because I was extremely shy. I had just been involved with a soccer league and discovered it was quite fun. Even though my team was in last place, we somehow managed to come in 3rd place at the end of the season. We received a team trophy and an individual trophy!
As a result, my parents also wanted to be a part of a team. So they got me involved in a bowling league. My parents took a coaching class to be bowling coaches for my team. While my dad understood the basics of the game, my mom could barely lift a 5-pound ball. But she persevered so she could be on the settee with the team. Our team was filled with the guys that nobody else wanted on their team as second, third and fourth picks. We were all somewhat down on ourselves, each other and our bowling abilities to even place in the games. She took into account our situations and worked with our coach (my dad), and the parents and the league. While she was not the main coach, she was our Team Cheerleader! She took the time to instill a winning attitude and give the guys a pep-talk even though one of my team players did not speak to her until we won our first championship. She persevered along with many others who wanted to see us achieve our goals in communicating with the other teams and having a winning attitude.
After 4 years, our team, once viewed as the underdogs and the team already in last place at the start of the league’s season, became bowling champions 3 years in a row. Every team member had received numerous trophies, scholarship money and team trophies. We were all astounded by our success that our coach and cheerleader were so supportive of us and helped us become a winning team. Who is that cheerleader in your group? Who is the one who will help you see past your insecurities, self-doubt, and help you achieve goals that you never thought were possible? Whether it is in sports or academics, it is always a wonderful thing to have someone as a cheerleader for you or your team.
In addition, my cheerleader helped me bring XZAKLEE into the world. The concept was slowly evolving during my high school years and over time my cheerleader was trying to find a way to spark new ideas and my overall communication skills, not only at school, but with everyone I came in contact with. As soon as she heard the word “exactly” when someone was talking to her, she would say to them (very loudly) “You just said “exactly”!” They would comment “What did I just say?” In an enthusiastic exclamation, she would say “You just said exactly! That’s his name, XZAKLEE”. Then she would give a short explanation how XZAKLEE came about and that every time one would say “exactly (XZAKLEE)”, that they would always remember my name. As you can see from this writing, my cheerleader has done exactly (XZAKLEE) what she set out to do by helping me make goals (little ones and big ones) and then achieve those goals. She continues to wear the XZAKLEE t-shirt and bracelet with honor. It sure helps me feel great that I learned from her to be enthusiastic (at least on the inside) and know that I can help others too. “A meeting of the minds is XZAKLEE what I want with you”. Cheers to you.
Photo by Oleg Laptev on Unsplash