Please go do that big, scary thing - please
It might end up being the best thing you've ever done for yourself
In preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics I did what any self-respecting fan would do and watched Simone Biles Rising, the documentary of the incredible gymnast Simone Biles on Netflix. We know her as the Olympic gold-winning gymnast with the megawatt smile whom we’ve nicknamed “the GOAT” (the greatest of all time), the one many of us are excited to watch compete this year, especially after what happened at the previous games.
In the two-part documentary we see Simone reflecting on that time. She notes her strong intuition, how she could feel something was off ahead of Tokyo, but in not knowing exactly what, she pushed on. Though sure enough, when it came time for her vault, she couldn’t perform the skill she’d been planning on. She found she had a mental block – “the twisties,” as it’s referred to in the sport. She felt lost in the air and disconnected between her mind and her body, a dangerous position to be in when performing a dangerous skill.
We all expected her to, but she didn’t try again. In her words, she “didn’t want to do something stupid,” she knew the same thing would happen – or worse. So she did what so few others have done and what no one would have predicted from her, the greatest gymnast in the world: she pulled out of the competition.
As we know, and as the documentary showcases, she faced an extreme amount of backlash for her decision. The internet – and seemingly the whole world – was stunned, many enraged. She was labeled a quitter and accused of letting down not just her team but her country by internet trolls and media outlets alike.
There’s so much I could say here about the sheer courage it took for her to not only listen to her intuition, but to act on it – to go against the grain when the entire world was watching. It’s such a powerful message and example to live by.
It occurred to me, in watching this documentary, how it’s often the scariest things that have the biggest payoff. To use Simone as an example, she learns the most advanced skills in the sport, putting in hours of work and her life on the line when she performs them. It’s not only difficult, it’s dangerous. Yet she does it anyway and earns medals, titles, and global fame as a result. Conversely, during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she did something just as scary as an advanced vault, if not more so, and prioritized herself, knowing it likely wouldn’t go over well with others. She she did it anyway and not only avoided injury, but has since become a huge catalyst for change in the discourse around mental health in sports.
It makes me think of the quote by Eleanor Roosevelt about doing one thing every day that scares you. So often it’s getting out of our comfort zones that pushes us to grow. It can be scary, for sure, but it can also be the best thing you do for yourself.
One of the reasons I’m so obsessed with Simone Biles is of course because she’s a powerhouse athlete and advocate, but also because I’m just generally obsessed with gymnastics. Like many kids, I was placed in a myriad of activities growing up to see what stuck. I did tee-ball, swimming, soccer, dance, basketball, piano, you name it.
The one thing I never did was gymnastics.
The reason for this wasn’t that I didn’t want to, because believe you me, I wanted to.
I fell in love with gymnastics the moment I was introduced to it at a classmate’s birthday party. The first thing to draw me in was the gym itself. It was a giant playground with colorful mats, springy floors and trampolines, and giant foam pits. I was enamored, I had no idea such a place existed. Cartwheeling on the floor, hanging from the bars, and walking on the beam was the most fun I’d ever had in my five years of life (and I had been in my fair share of bowling alleys and bouncy houses at that point).
It ignited a passion in me, something I felt deep in my bones. I wasted no time asking my parents if I could do gymnastics and they wasted no time telling me their answer, which was a staunch no. When I asked why, they gave a number of reasons.
It’s expensive. You wouldn’t be able to do any other sport or activity.
You would have no life. Would you want to practice for 3 hours a day?
We’d have to travel. Do you want to miss that much school or time with your friends?
It’s dangerous. You’ll break your neck (or your arm, or your leg, or your back, etc.).
These were fair points, but they were never enough to extinguish my interest, in fact, they only fanned the flames. It was the classic tale of forbidden love. I was Romeo, gymnastics was my Juliet. And soon, new neighbor was my savior.
A girl a year younger than me moved in across the street, and to my delight, she was in gymnastics. We were fast friends and soon she was teaching me all the things she was learning in class – roundoffs, back walkovers, front handsprings – in each other’s front yards, backyards, and bonus rooms. I imagine my parents viewed this as a way for me to get it out of my system in the comfort of our own home, and I suppose it did satiate me for a while. Eventually, the friend moved and without her free coaching, gymnastics started to feel like my one that got away.
That is, until I turned eighteen.
My senior year, I learned my high school was bringing gymnastics back to the athletics program. When I thought about joining, I was scared. Most gymnasts start their careers as soon as they can walk. I’d never be close to competitive, I could never catch up. Could I do it? Was I too old? Was it too late?
But I’d already learned a valuable lesson about fear. In fact, I’d already done one of the most terrifying things of my life: I’d transferred high schools. I’d started over in the middle of the four years. I’d met new people and taken new and harder classes, all in a completely new environment. I’d wondered, like with gymnastics, if it was too late, if being two years in at my current school meant I should just stay the course even if I hated it. This fear almost stopped me, but thankfully I did it anyway and I never regretted it. It opened up a whole new world to me. In fact, it gave me the opportunity to finally do what I’d always wanted to do.
So, at eighteen years old, I started gymnastics.
The program was so new I didn’t even need to try out. I just walked on with eight other girls (two of whom were fellow seniors) and trained for three hours a day, five days a week after school. Not only did I learn so many new things, I made amazing friendships with my teammates and was voted co-captain. I competed in meets (something that initially scared the shit out of me so much I forgot my floor routine halfway through and just started cartwheeling for no reason) and even made it to Districts where I performed a back handspring – a skill I’d worked hard to learn in the two weeks prior.
I still remember that day at Districts. I remember the buzz of the crowd in the stands, the silence as my mind tuned it out while I threw my head and hands back, and its roar as I landed on my feet. It was the biggest and bravest thing I had ever done. Afterward, my dad captured a photo of me with my friends – some from my old school, some from my new school, most of whom I’m still close with to this day – who had come to cheer me on. I’m holding a giant bouquet of flowers from my parents and looking right at the camera with a huge smile on my face. I love that girl, I am so proud of her. I love how she didn’t let her fear stop her. How despite feeling scared, she did it anyway and had the absolute time of her life.
My time as a gymnast was really only a few months, but I still say I was one whenever someone asks. Even though I’ll never make it to the Olympics or be the GOAT like Simone, she reminds me that doing the big, scary thing – that putting yourself and what you love first – is always, always, always worth it.
P.S. Congratulations to Simone Biles (center), Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, and Suni Lee of Team USA on their win yesterday 🥇 Watching the Olympics growing up fueled my love of the sport. I feel like a little kid again, cheering them on and saying “I want to be like them.” I might need to take my own advice and go sign my inner child up for some adult gymnastics classes. 🤸🏻♀️
Author’s Note: What is that big, scary thing you’ve always thought about doing? Why haven’t you done it?
Also, here’s me trying to convince everyone I love dance and not gymnastics 😂
Love, love, love this!!! SUCH an inspiring lesson. 👏👏💕 I think it's absolutely amazing that you never gave up your love for it, went for it at that age, in a new high school, when so many would have talked themselves out of it. Thank you for sharing this, going for what we want is ALWAYS the right thing to do. 💛💛
Lauren, I love this so much! What a great, inspiring story 🤸♀️
I never tried gymnastics so I can only imagine the mental and physical strength that goes into learning it. I’ve really been enjoying watching the women’s team this past week too--can’t get enough of Simone and Suni’s smiles!!