Today, I had the privilege of presenting a martial arts driven character development class to nine groups of Kindergarden through 8th graders.
It was highly rewarding and the message I was able to share felt well received.
When the 8th graders (13-15 years old) arrived for their session, however, the apprehension and self-consciousness was thick in the air.
Just about all of the kids were more concerned with what each of the other kids thought and wouldn’t so much as stand up without a strong enough prompt.
They had other things on their mind—boys, girls, being funny, being liked, being noticed, looking cool, looking rebellious, looking like a part of the group, etc.
And so I offered them a simple invitation: I’m here to show you how martial arts can add value to your lives. If you want to learn how, step forward. If you’d rather not, step back.
And I wish I could say they all stepped forward—but, they didn’t.
Only a group of about 6 (out of 30ish) did.
And so I focused all of my attention on those six. I even huddled them tight after the session and gave them more than I planned on giving—as a thank you.
It’s so easy to feel like we’re up against the majority in our lives—and often we are. And it can be tempting to just slide back and blend into mix of the group—certainly nobody would blame you.
But, to step forward in confidence? In spite of the group decision? At risk of social consequence?
This… my friends… is where leadership is born and how any noteworthy change—is made.