“Goals.There’s not telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There’s no telling what you can do when you believe in them. There’s no telling what will happen when you act upon them.”
Jim Rohn

I can tell you what happens in our house when my daughter acts upon her goals; she succeeds and I think it feels better than she ever imagined. Oh the look on her face after school today was the most glorious spectacle. It was the smile that exuded confidence, the body posture that was standing strong with determination, her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and her heart was filled with joy. Seems a little over the top doesn’t it? Well, trust me these moments have occured only a handful of times, sure we’ve had success but she had two days were she just shined and the best part is that she truly understood just how powerful her own will power, strength and determination are. Let me explain why?

When you suffer from social anxiety there are a number of factors that contribute to a childs avoidance or fear of situations. Take a look at the following information:

Emotional symptoms of social anxiety disorder / social phobia

• Excessive self-consciousness and anxiety in everyday social situations
• Intense worry for days, weeks, or even months before an upcoming social situation
• Extreme fear of being watched or judged by others, especially people you don’t know
• Fear that you’ll act in ways that that will embarrass or humiliate yourself
• Fear that others will notice that you’re nervous

Physical symptoms of social anxiety disorder / social phobia

• Red face, or blushing
• Shortness of breath
• Upset stomach, nausea (i.e. butterflies)
• Trembling or shaking (including shaky voice)
• Racing heart or tightness in chest
• Sweating or hot flashes
• Feeling dizzy or faint

Behavioral symptoms of social anxiety disorder / social phobia

• Avoiding social situations to a degree that limits your activities or disrupts your life
• Staying quiet or hiding in the background in order to escape notice and embarrassment
• A need to always bring a buddy along with you wherever you go
• Drinking before social situations in order to soothe your nerves
• Social anxiety disorder / social phobia in children

There’s nothing abnormal about a child being shy, but children with social anxiety disorder or social phobia experience extreme distress over everyday activities and situations such as playing with other kids, reading in class, speaking to adults, taking tests, or performing in front of others. Often, children with social phobia don’t want to go to school.

Taken from HelpGuide

It is easy to see that anxiety can completely invade a child’s life and make them feel hopeless; like they are unworthy of any happiness because they are so full of fear.

But then a wonderful mix occurs – a teacher who has fantastic energy. The kind of energy that is engaging and understanding and most importantly calming. Combine this with vocabulary that surrounds you with it’s positive affirmations. “You can do this”, “Let’s take a moment before we move on”, “I know you will succeed”, “I knew you could do it”. Self confidence derived from experience. An attempt at an action out of one’s realm of comfort would not occur had there not have been some strong successful prior attempts. So in other words that bridge would not have been built without some very strong foundations. Throw into the mix a strong sense of support in knowing that whatever the outcome there are people there to help you through and incredible things can happen.

Bring these things together:
Teacher, Vocabulary, Experience and Support

and this is what you get!

Sydney had her very first oral presentation the other day. It was the first presentation of the year and she only presented this time to her teacher. She presented some fantastic information all about her. She guided him through a memorable experience, her hero and the best book she’s ever read to name a few categories. The presentation was designed as a newspaper all about her and it was done all at school so when she brought it home I looked at this 3 foot tall poster and was in awe of her work.

The presentation was FANTASTIC and she came home with a 3+. On our grading scales 4 is the highest and she knocked it out of the park. The best part of it all when it came to the section that talks about “confidence in speaking” it was circled with a little note at the bottom from the teacher saying, “Great attitude you must be so proud of yourself“. Wow…she came out of school just glowing. She did it all by herself and she did beyond great!

Then to continue the success of the first day the school participated in the annual “Terry Fox Run”. This involves the whole school running around the track in honour of Terry Fox. Up to this point in her school career she has never really willingly participated in this. Usually, she would have an educational assistant walk beside her and she begrudgingly would find her way around the track maybe one if we were lucky.

Yesterday, she raced out school and the very first thing out of her mouth was, “Guess what I did today? I ran the Terry Fox run..I actually ran and then had to walk because I got tired but I mostly ran.” When I asked if a Educational Assistant was with her? “Nope. It was just me and a friend of mine”. The big question – “So, how did it feel?” Biggest smile on a face that I have ever seen, “Good, really, really good!”

Now that’s what success is all about! I am so proud of her but more importantly I am thrilled that she has found within herself the power to succeed on her own, in her own time, with her own strength and determination. I am also beyond proud to have her realize just how amazing a girl she is!