Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8

That little quote was replaying in my mind over and over yesterday. I was doing something I had never done before. We won a family pass to a local ski hill. Ackbar & Freckles went skiing; Frogurt and I, being the adventure-seekers that we are, tried out snowboarding.

 
In a word: it was hard! I spent more time falling, sitting on the hill and looking for my pride, which I am sure was buried in that snow pile over there, than I did snowboarding.
 
This story, however, is not about me. It is about Frogurt.
 
We started off with an hour-and-a-half lesson (which originally seemed like a long time but was only a drop in the bucket!). About 50 minutes into the lesson, after falling and hurting himself one too many times, he gave up. He sat on the hill, board unstrapped, and said he was done.
 
I told him he was going to have to just sit there because Ackbar was off taking his lesson and I wanted to finish mine. I sat down and talked to him about I could relate to how hard it was (I, too, was finding it difficult and frustrating) but that it would just take practice.
 
No give. He just sat there. I kept going with my lesson. Different instructors went up to him, encouraging him to try again, No give. I had one more talk with him and finally, he decided to try again. Well, guess what? He got better! He mastered the tow rope (a feat which took me the better part of the afternoon!) and began to make it down the hill without crashing. His confidence was growing with each trip down the hill.

 
I told him at one point that he was surrounded by people that wanted to see him succeed but ultimately the decision had to be his.
 
Sound familiar? Ever found yourself digging your heels in, determined not to fail one more time? Ready to give up because it seems like the easier thing to do? 
 
You, too, are surrounded by people that want to see you succeed and who are standing at the ready to help you. Just like the instructors did with Frogurt, there are people who will support you and help you each step of the way. As you practice, your confidence will grow and soon you will be racing down the hill all by yourself!
 
Now if you will excuse me, I need to go find a donut to sit on!