This story is my story
I want to tell you a story about a little girl that was born in Canada, and whose first language was Portuguese. She started kindergarten not knowing one word of English. She went through JK and SK, never really learning much, thanks to her bilingual friend who translated every word the teachers said.
In grade 1, when all the other kids were learning to read, she was learning to speak her first words.
In grade 2, still struggling to speak and read English, she was so behind all the other children that she was placed in an English as Second Language (ESL) program.
She still remembers sitting in that ESL class, knowing she had been born in Canada and that all her friends were progressing well in school, wondering how she ended up surrounded by children that were new to the country. She was the only Canadian born child in the program.
Grade 3 was a critical year for her, with her father's support and a phenomenal teacher's dedication to going beyond what the Board required, she went from grade 1 level reading to grade 4 level reading by the end of the year.
She will forever be grateful to that teacher that met with her father weekly, offered extra help before and after school, and told her she could do it with hard work and a will to keep trying.
Well, this little girl grew up to excel at school, completing a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration, and quickly climbed the corporate ladder achieving more than she ever dreamed of.
The truth is sometimes she still feels like that little girl in the ESL program.
This story is my story.
A story I haven't told in decades. A story I forgot was even part of my past. And yet, as I described to my coach my big audacious goals and the massive impact I want to have before I leave this planet, the little girl in ESL flashed before me. Her worries, her doubts, her insecurities all came flooding in.
I'm a confident woman. I believe in myself. Dare I say, I really like myself!
I don't tend to worry too much about things not working out. I have a deep belief that the universe has my back and that there's a lesson in every mistake, every stumble, every fall.
My intentions are pure, and I have a deep desire to be of service.
And, the truth is when I dream beyond what I believe is possible, when I sit in a room with people I admire, the discomfort that little girl felt comes back to me.
This is not a story I want to forget, but rather one that I want to change how I tell.
The story now is not the one about the Canadian born girl that ended up in ESL, but rather about the little girl that against all odds continued to work hard and kept trying, and who as a result now knows that no matter where you start, no matter how much you still have to learn, anything is possible.
This image was captured by my coach as I retold him my story with this new perspective. You can see the love and admiration I have for that little girl, who now as a grown woman knows that truly anything is possible!
With love,
Lisa