As you may know, my son, Finn, has to deal with challenges that most of us are lucky enough not to face. With the support of others, including the awesome team at Glasstap, Finn has focused on trying to achieve new things this year.
From our fund-raising challenge, to the ‘simple’ joy of getting on a train, Finn is trying to get better at the ‘normal stuff’. That’s why I was so proud that, over the summer holidays, he chose to go to a summer camp with 40 other boys, none of whom he had met before.
Behind the scenes, this involved a lot of planning and a lot of goodwill from all involved. We worked hard to keep him safe, but Finn doesn’t need to know about any of that. His only challenges were to:
- Say yes to going.
- Give it his all when he got there.
As anybody, who knows someone with additional needs, knows that in itself was a big ask but Finn’s first words, when I picked him up at the end of the week were: “Mum, I want to come back next year.”
OK, I admit it, I cried when he said that. So much of Finn’s everyday life is about dealing with rejection. To see him accepted and genuinely liked was priceless. And it was emotional to meet strangers who talked about Finn as the funny, genuine, caring individual that I know and love.
Knowing how much courage it had taken Finn to go to this camp and embrace the experience really got me thinking.
What could I learn from his bravery? What would his bravery enable you to do?
In a few months from now, your timeline will be full of people talking about New Year’s resolutions. But why is 1st January such a line in the sand? What if you made a decision today to do something that will make a difference to your life?
It doesn’t have to be a ‘forever’ change, like quitting smoking or overhauling your diet. It could be as simple as doing something scary once and then building your courage from there.
And it could be something at home, or at work that you change. If you want to try something different at work, there’s plenty in
Managers’ Library to inspire you, including:
I know what I have decided to do. And whatever change you decide to make, I wish you all the luck in the world.