This I Believe

I jumped from wall to wall until I finally made it to the top but I couldn't stop there, I still had to make it over the fence. The fence was two feet higher than the wall and a long fall. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but then I remembered, "You can do anything as long as you set your mind to it," as my mom used to say. So I told myself I could do it over and over again. I jumped high up over the fence, landed on my feet, and rolled. I was amazed that I did it! That one thought is what gets me through all of my extreme activities.

I mountain bike, street bike, do BMX, and run Parkour. I am only able to do these activities because I set my mind to it. I believe that setting my minds to activities that give me trouble is the only way I could accomplish everything I do.

I try, try, try, and try. Each time I try I always remember that I can do it. I tell myself over and over again that I can make this jump or do this trick or climb this hill. For example one day while I was mountain biking I rode up a mountain trail. When I reached the end of the trail, there were two roads. I asked a guy for help and he pointed me in the wrong direction, which I didn't know, so I went down it. Once I got down to the bottom of the road, I looked at my phone and saw that it took thirty minutes to get to the bottom. The whole thing was down hill and I was probably going down it at fifteen miles per hour. I had never ridden a bike that fast and when I finally got to the bottom, I realized that I had taken the wrong road. I couldn't believe I had done that and I didn't think I was going to get back up. I did the math and it was about seven miles to get back up. I was running very low on water and already felt dehydrated, but I told myself that I had to do it; I had to get up this massive hill. So I started hiking the hill and grew tired very quickly. I was ready to collapse after just an hour and I had already run out of water. I lie down on the ground and closed my eyes and I saw my mom saying, "You can do anything as long as you set your mind to it," I stood up and kept marching up the hill. By the time I got up the hill, I could barely even talk I was so tired; it had taken me four hours and thirty minutes. I felt very satisfied with myself and I knew then that it is possible to do anything as long as i set my mind to it.

Events like this have made me believe in mind over matter, will power, and anything is possible as long as I set my mind to it. I always amaze myself with what I can do when I believe I can. Just to think that one sentence my mother said when I was nine could affect me so much is truly incredible. I always use that one simple phrase to keep me going. I believe in myself.