Accomplishments and Confidence

Posted on by Wynne Leon

This past weekend we were riding home from the airport in a taxi. My five-year-old son, Mr. D asked the driver what his first ride as a taxi driver was. The driver thought for a moment and then told the story.

It was a pilot he picked up from the Grand Sheraton hotel in downtown Seattle. The guy wanted to go to the Bellevue Westin Hotel and asked him, “Do you know Bellevue?” Other than the general locale, the driver didn’t know this city across Lake Washington from Seattle but nodded “yes” anyway. He needed the fare.

So he headed across the lake on Interstate 90 and took the Bellevue Way exit as the most logical choice. At this point his heart was pounding, he was sweating bullets, and his mind was racing to figure out the next thing to do. But as he continued to push forward, driving towards the visibly taller downtown buildings, he saw a sign, “Westin, 2 miles ahead.”

As the driver recounted the story he gave a triumphant laugh and said, “It was then I knew I could do it. I felt such confidence.”

It was a good question and a fun story. My kids still have so many firsts in their lives. Not in a sports announcer “first ball caught in a cross-wind on a Tuesday” kind of way but real firsts that everyone asks them about. Like the first day in elementary school and the first time riding a bike. I wondered if that was why Mr. D thought of the question.

And the answer clearly stoked up the driver’s confidence all over again. He was having so much fun retelling about the moment he pushed through the nerves that it was infectious.

I wonder – what first accomplishment that filled you with a lot of confidence comes to mind?

(featured photo from Pexels)

27 thoughts on “Accomplishments and Confidence”

  1. I love the curiosity in your kids and their willingness to put the questions out there. And the taxi driver’s response is a classic. Confidence is something earned through experience for most people, myself included, and those nervous moments definitely are a rite of passage!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  2. such a good lesson for mr. d, and a confidence booster for the driver. my first memory of something like this was when I lost my first tooth that had fallen out and I was quite young. I worked really hard to write a small note to the tooth fairy and tell her that it really did fall out but I lost it and I hoped that she would still visit me. I put it under my pillow, but was worried and finally fell asleep. when I woke up in the morning, my note was gone, and two shiny quarters were left in its place. it made me understand that you can always try to make things right, even if they didn’t go as planned, and also I realized the power of writing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. I don’t remember my first triumph, but these days, I rejoice over a recovered memory. 😃 Maybe your delightful story will jog a memory of an early triumph for me to enjoy all over again. Well, you’ve certainly got me thinking about it now . . . !

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Such a great story, Wynne! I love it when people are candid and vulnerable and share their stories of building confidence despite trepidation. I’ll need to think about your question. It’s a good one! 🥰

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  5. Well, my first accomplishment was having three girlfriends in kindergarten. I have no recollection of how that happened. I do remember how the trip departed in less than a minute. As the song reminds us, “Breaking up is hard to do.” I suppose the real accomplishment was surviving the shock!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. What a fun story! And Mr. D’s question does seem to suggest he views the world through a lens of “firsts”, and that makes me wonder how our lives might change if we all moved through life looking for those small opportunities to keep learning and growing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. The taxi driver story was engaging-and what a great human interest question your son asked! The confidence story that comes to mind is not about me, but other mothers. I’ve always made an effort to compliment mothers of young children out in public knowing they needed positive feedback to build their confidence-especially when they’re rattled. If they smiled, that would make my day and give me confidence to do it again! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. While I loved the story and the great life lessons, my favorite part was knowing that Mr. D had the confidence to pose this question to the driver. Most five-year-olds would be quite intimidated and quiet in such a situation. My guess is that he has either learned to be brave and inquisitive from either you or his older sister. In the few minutes I got to visit with them before the podcast, I was reminded how much I still like being around kids.

    Like

    Reply

  12. Ooh. Great question! When I was younger, I was terrified of public speaking. Over the years, I forced myself outside of my comfort zone and got to be pretty good at it. The thing that really boosted my confidence was when I submitted a presentation proposal for a conference. It was accepted, I did the presentation, and got great reviews. I’ve spoken at that conference every year since.

    Like

    Reply

  13. Probably tying my shoelaces without assistance, though I can’t say I remember the moment. All I know is, I’m able to do it all by myself now. Yay, me!

    I fell for Bellevue hard in 1994. Really, really wanted to live there, in fact. But alas, it was not to be.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a reply to WritingfromtheheartwithBrian Cancel reply