Kira did it! She fought hard and broke 1/2 inch worth of boards.
The real power of getting to observe Kira over the past few weeks has nothing to do with breaking the boards. What inspired both Lisa and I, was her resiliency, commitment to keep trying, even in the face of lots of struggle, tears, sore elbows and a clear mind block…she knew she could break the board…she had done it many times before, but something stopped her from committing 100% to swinging through. She was bummed Shihan, Jack Raderchak, or Sammy Dizon weren’t there to hold her boards and somehow that had become why she couldn’t break the board. That thinking was the difference between shattering The board and a sore elbow.
Watching her was truly inspiring and quite a powerful parenting lesson as well for me personally. It was the ultimate balance of believe, push, motivate, love, inspire…and the hardest part, let go and step back, which I did several times recently…allowing her to take the reigns on when she was ready, and she did!
Tonight she broke the board not with me holding it, but off quietly in the corner at School of the Tiger with Sensei Britni Alford. I didn’t watch it happen, and allowed her to be hyper focused on just that board. That is what she did over the weekend with me holding the boards…a total of 9 times, but somehow in class , when I held, it just didn’t come together.
Super happy for our strong bond, resiliency and her continued belief. There were tears over the past few weeks and pity parties, close hugs and cuddles that we worked through. I am thankful beyond words for how much this experience challenged me to grow as a parent. I have gained at least as much from this experience as Kira has and our relationship and bond is even stronger as a result. Kira learned the lesson over these few weeks on the power of our minds and we become what we focus on…good or bad. A few sore elbows was not bad tuition for this lifelong lesson. I love this girl more than I could put into words and how much of a teacher she has been to me unknowingly over the years. Can’t wait for our daddy daughter date this Friday and couldn’t be more proud of her!
