Stay Determined

1 girl. 1 kite. 1 fan. 7 extension cords. And no wind. What does this add up to?

Yep, that’s me….you’re probably wondering how I got here. Flying a kite with the power of a single box fan. Honestly, what was I thinking? It was probably something like this:

“I’m bored. What can I do? I don’t know, I’m still bored. I’m going to see what we have in the garage. Oh look, a kite! I’m going to try to fly it. Oh shoot, there’s no wind. Well, I can’t fly a kite with no wind. But wait, we have a fan! That’s like wind. Dang, the cord isn’t long enough. Let me grab an extension cord…or 7.”

Soon after this series of unfortunate events, my mom stepped out on our front porch to sneak a quick picture. And boy, am I glad she did. As I look back on this day, I see a strong-willed, stubborn, hard-headed, and determined little girl. She was simply ready to take on the world. 

Now, I wonder, what changed? Where is that little girl who was determined to do ALL that she could? Well, she’s just a little hidden. Over the years that little girl became more and more worried about how she was viewed when she took on a new adventure. That little girl gained more anxiety about what would happen if she failed.  That little girl became embarrassed when things didn’t go quite how she expected. So now, it’s taking a little bit of work to find her again. 

And you know what? That’s okay. We all lose our way sometimes, including me. We can’t seem to find the passion, the drive, the determination we once had, and we have no idea where to start looking. Here’s the thing that makes it really tough: there’s no road map to determination, there’s no “X marks the spot” for drive, and there’s surely not a Google Maps for passion. Nevertheless, there’s always that little voice in the back of your head that says “you’re not done yet.” There are friends that surround you to remind you of how proud they are of you. There is that one song that hypes you up before you head off to school or work to face the day. There’s always some sort of light (no matter how small) that serves as our reminder to keep searching for a source of determination. 

I know its tough. Constantly on a trek to find a single bit of passion - sometimes it can feel like a never-ending trail.  But I promise you, it’s there. That passion, that drive, that determination – it’s simply a smoldering piece of coal. All it needs is a little nudge to be aflame once again. 

So, here’s a few reminders as you begin searching for your missing determination:

• You are smart

• You are strong

• You are confident

• You are brave

• You are courageous

• I am proud of you

• I believe in you

• You’ve got this

Your determined kite-flying friend, 

Abby