For those of you that have children, I'm sure you will appreciate this blog.
Each day in our home, especially during swim season, we relive and replay most of the races in our heads, at the dinner table, in the car, ... yes, we "rehash" the meet(s) many, many times, commenting on what we liked, what impressed us, what surprised us, etc. It was this past weekend's meet that we have been discussing in total, including analyzing the results race by race, noting who swam what and who placed where.
Now those of you that know Gabby, know that she is a competitor to the end. You can see it in her entire being as she steps up to the block for the beginning of any of her races. For as many times as I have watched her race, I never realized what her thoughts were in her mind. Yesterday, Gabby told us of these thoughts. Paraphrasing her statement, Gabby said something like this...." and then when I turned I saw that I was even with 'that girl' so I said to myself, "Gabby, kick really hard...as hard as you can... you are NOT going to lose to 'that girl'" And guess what....Gabby beat 'that girl'.
My other children, on occasion, Dominic, Francesca, and Vincent, have also shared with me their self-talk and how they tell themselves they are going to "win no matter what." It's the self-talk, the positive - I will do this no matter what- kind of talk that makes a difference in winning and losing ...and not just in a sporting event!
I have read many many books on personal development and I know how important self-talk is...But seeing my kids use it and be successful is a strong reminder of the importance of having high expectations and holding the bar high for each of them. Yes, each of them. Our Angelo is developing exceptionally well because we EXPECT him to do so. We believe that our darling Julianna will grow and develop exceptionally well once she is home. Why? Because we EXPECT her to do so. She will have excellent role models in her siblings who will help her to be the best the she can be!
When Gabby shared her "self-talk" with us, I smiled, and thought "Wow! She understands!"
Each day in our home, especially during swim season, we relive and replay most of the races in our heads, at the dinner table, in the car, ... yes, we "rehash" the meet(s) many, many times, commenting on what we liked, what impressed us, what surprised us, etc. It was this past weekend's meet that we have been discussing in total, including analyzing the results race by race, noting who swam what and who placed where.
Now those of you that know Gabby, know that she is a competitor to the end. You can see it in her entire being as she steps up to the block for the beginning of any of her races. For as many times as I have watched her race, I never realized what her thoughts were in her mind. Yesterday, Gabby told us of these thoughts. Paraphrasing her statement, Gabby said something like this...." and then when I turned I saw that I was even with 'that girl' so I said to myself, "Gabby, kick really hard...as hard as you can... you are NOT going to lose to 'that girl'" And guess what....Gabby beat 'that girl'.
My other children, on occasion, Dominic, Francesca, and Vincent, have also shared with me their self-talk and how they tell themselves they are going to "win no matter what." It's the self-talk, the positive - I will do this no matter what- kind of talk that makes a difference in winning and losing ...and not just in a sporting event!
I have read many many books on personal development and I know how important self-talk is...But seeing my kids use it and be successful is a strong reminder of the importance of having high expectations and holding the bar high for each of them. Yes, each of them. Our Angelo is developing exceptionally well because we EXPECT him to do so. We believe that our darling Julianna will grow and develop exceptionally well once she is home. Why? Because we EXPECT her to do so. She will have excellent role models in her siblings who will help her to be the best the she can be!
When Gabby shared her "self-talk" with us, I smiled, and thought "Wow! She understands!"