Producing through Persistence: (Born with obstacles, born to win)

I noticed something interesting, but it’s not something new Malcolm Gladwell even discusses a similar topic in his book “Outliers”. Where certain people seems to just have a better chance at success or more luck. These people have advantages like the month in which they are born, the time there was opportunity to study things for the first time etc. I saw and experienced that people, especially children, that face hardships or obstacles tend to be stronger, better fighters. There’s even a Russian girl, Maryana Naumove, who is said to be the strongest girl in the world. Her father trained her from a very young age with weights and thus her muscles grew in exceptional ways.

Even premature babies that start life with a disadvantage seem to rise out of the situation stronger than their more comfortable peers. This is not always the case for everyone, but it seems discomfort or pain helps some people to decide to become stronger or to fight.

Something very few people know about me, it that I was born with motor muscle development problems.

“Movement issues can take different forms. Weakness in fine motor skills makes it hard to direct small muscle groups like fingers. Weakness in gross motor skills affects large muscle groups in the body such as legs. And trouble with hand-eye coordination can make things like buttoning a shirt difficult.”

I run like an eagle trying to take off, arms flailing everywhere. I have one foot that’s slightly inward turning or askew. As a very young girl I had to see an occupational therapist to improve my muscle control and develop better. I couldn’t walk in a straight line very well and I struggled to hop and skip. Although I struggled and usually only made B or C teams in sports, I played Netball, I did modelling and bodybuilding as a teen and today no one would be able to tell I had these problems. In school I never really excelled (I always performed about average). I still always felt the urgency to do my best and I never gave up. My dad used to tell people that I am a very hard worker. I feel that these qualities came from the desire to overcome my obstacles and the desire to be a winner and a desire for attention or to be heard and seen.

At the same time, I saw people born with the most amazing skills and talent, things I could only dream of. Natural gifts like Good posture, a perfect voice, flawless skin, artistic skills, excellent memories etc. Although these people used their talents they did not always work or fight very hard for more. Some did and achieved great things, but because their level of effort was not as high or maybe it was that their desire to win faded, they stopped working and dreaming of having more.

Today not because I am anything special, all I really have is discipline, creative problem-solving skills and a desire to succeed. I have achieved more than some people with natural talents and gifts. My son fell behind for a few years now with milestones and social skills and I must admit he is a bit spoiled. I realized he does not lack a desire to win, because he cries when he fails, but he lacks the ability to work or fight for winning. So, in addition to not interfering the whole time to “help” him, I am telling him to try again and again and again. I am using positive affirmations and helping him shift his mindset of “this is too hard” to “it’s not as bad as I think it is”. When he succeeds ever slightly, I praise him. I praise him after every effort, but I also ask him to try again. We even made this into one of our home values. In our house we try until we succeed.

I am sharing these story’s in the hope to inspire others not to give up. To try harder. Winston Churchill said “never ever ever give up”. The biggest part to achieving the characteristics of someone who's determined is to desire success. You have to want to improve or win more than anything. Success does not come from perseverance only, it also comes from a desire to succeed.

Keep Improving

The Ameliorate Team

#Persevere; #Success; #Victory; #Winners; #Obstacles; #SelfDevelopment