BABY STEPS ARE ROYAL ROAD TO SKILL

 



“It does not matter how slowly you go,

 as long as you do not stop.”

Confucius

 

One of my young friends is a passionate marathon runner. It’s a delight to watch his running posts which he shares regularly on his social-media account. I simply admire his dedication and commitment to long-distance running… “How can these guys do it for so many years?” I have, often, wondered…

Yesterday, I was equally delighted to see a different kind of post shared by this friend… He had captured on his camera the maiden step taken by his baby boy, with the caption: “Our baby boy has taken his first step, today… We are so thrilled!” 

Doesn’t this feeling sound so familiar to all of us, whether we are runners of just bystanders… We all know how important – and thrilling – is that maiden step of a baby… You and I, when we grow up, simply forget about our baby steps and get caught up only in the big races, long marathons… We are obsessed with the speed and the stamina… “How fast and how long we can run.”…

The baby steps get buried, and forgotten…




I remember, when I turned 60, seven years ago, undergoing two major surgeries. I was in hospital for a month, and was drained of all my strength… I can never forget, how the physiotherapists helped me take my maiden step – so slowly with help from both sides… one, baby step at a time… There was no hurry to take that… When I was helped to climb one step of the staircase, it felt like climbing a mountain… It did remind me of what Martin Luther King Jr. had said:

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase;

just take the first step.”

How true, that was!

Do we push the baby to run, or simply rejoice seeing him taking his first step? You and I, deep down, know, that, one day, the same baby would learn to run fast and run long… Yes, we trust the process… We believe in the cumulative power of all the baby steps in life…

The important thing, therefore, is to keep moving… As Confucius said:

“It does not matter how slowly you go,

 as long as you do not stop.”

Many times, when things don’t go the way I have panned, and I find myself getting overwhelmed with self-doubt, impatience and frustration, yes, I remind myself about the baby steps I had to take not just when I was a little baby, but, also, when, at 60, following my major surgeries, I had to learn again to ‘stand on my two feet’ and take one baby step at a time – with support, care and trust… I had to climb only one step of the huge staircase!

This Post is dedicated to all my ‘Marathon Friends’ – which metaphorically means you, me, all – who are caught up in the race of life – speed, distance and trophies… I say, “It’s okay… It’s okay… It’s okay.”





Daniel Coyle reminds us: “Baby steps are royal road to skill.”

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic’s: Pixabay

Video: GoogleIndia

 

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