One of our 5 core values is Willing 2 Be Kind. At a surface level, it feels obvious…of course we want to be kind. And that’s true, we should be kind just for the sake of being kind. But with our Ninja program, there’s a deeper reason for this.
I explained it to our students like this. Imagine you are about to try and get across an obstacle that you haven’t tried before. You expect that if you fail and fall off in the middle, the rest of the group is going to laugh at you or make fun of you. Would you even try? Many wouldn’t.
But what if you expect that if you try and fail, you’ll receive cheers and high fives for your effort? You’ll probably have more confidence to try.
Again, it sounds simple, but that can be a massive difference maker in our growth. If we are in an environment where we feel safe and supported, we are more likely to try things even if there’s a chance of failure. And when we try those things, we often get stronger and braver.
Willing 2 Be Kind connects strongly to our other core values – Willing 2 Be Brave (you’re more likely to be brave when you feel encouraged and supported), Willing 2 Face Failure (you’re less likely to fear failure, and can see it as a building block towards success), Willing 2 Do Your Best (if your best isn’t as good as someone else’s best, that’s ok because no one is ‘against’ each other), and Willing 2 Have Fun (everything is more fun when you’re surrounded by kindness).
We all want this kind of environment (I hope), and it’s up to us to create it by choosing kindness. We won’t always be perfect, but wherever you find yourself, remember that even the smallest acts of kindness can have an important impact in someone’s growth.
-Coach Evan
