Gotta Love Henry

Today's tidbit came from one Henry Ford; a fairly intelligent, forward-thinking sort of gentleman.

"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do."

Let that sink in for a minute. Now read it again!

When I was in high school and on the gymnastics team, I adored the floor exercise. It was quite an expressive outlet and all kinds of fun. Problem was that I, kind of like Henry Ford, was a forward-thinking person. I could do all kinds of tricks forward . . . but was terrified of going backwards. In my junior year, something snapped. Don't know if it was the boyfriend appendage or just the thought that this portion of my life was nearing an end, but I just swallowed that fear and gave it a shot. I amazed myself with backhandspring series, sommies, pikes, and all kinds of stuff. Once I got a taste of it, you couldn't stop me. Although I was nicknamed 'Lynnie the Pooh,' I was much more aligned with the Tigger persona.

On the golf course, I played pretty well and thoroughly enjoyed the game. I kind of got bored, though, just playing with my brothers all the time. I wanted another challenge. There were two teams at the club where we belonged . . . the A team and the B team . . . both of which were boys. I inquired about joining, even though I was petrified about playing with strangers in a truly competitive environment. I was told I'd have to play from the men's tees and challenge 1 to 2 players above and start at the bottom of the B team. By the end of high school, I had made the A team! Travelling to various clubs around the area was quite an experience and I recall the painstakingly slow welcome I received from male team mates until one day in Woodstock, on a beautiful par 3, where I hit the pin on my drive and nearly made a hole-in-one. Things changed after that. Fear had held me back, but now with the A team's support . . . 'I pity da fool!'

Public speaking is a dreaded activity for most people. Some folks just have the knack for it. Others, like myself, have all kinds of issues with it. . . . I look horrible; I sound like Minnie Mouse; I need to lose weight; no one wants to hear what I have to say . . .  and a hundred other excuses. Then one day, my Christmas fantasies came true when a distributor for 'Christmas Around the World' came into the print shop and inquired about having business cards made. I knew, from attending previous parties, that the perks for the demonstrators were terrific . . . so, once again, I suppressed those trepidations and signed up. I was standing in people's living rooms, barely knowing some of the hostesses, with upwards of 30 strangers sometimes, . . . talking! Truly out of character for me, but I was very successful and very happy. People DID want to hear me . . . whether I think I sound like Minnie Mouse or not.  People booked parties and more parties. It was super and I truly came out of my shell with that experience.

Fear is a weight that, if you allow it, will drag you to the depths of depression. To drop that weight, you will find that not only is your load lightened, but your entire horizon has changed. You are not so very interested in your shoes; but seem to be able to absorb a whole new surrounding; a new vision; opportunity! Had Henry allowed his fears to determine his fate . . . we might still be using the horse and buggy.