“You can do it.” These words mean a lot to people who struggle with things other people find easy to do. Jodi only wanted to be the same as her friends, but she knew she was different; after all, someone usually reminded her often enough.
She made fairly good grades in school even though it took her a long time to do homework. She seemed to have a natural gift for math, music, and art. However, when reading, the words got mixed up somehow.
Jodi was feeling particularly down as she just sat and struggled with a reading assignment after class was dismissed. The teacher, Mrs. Easten, sat with her and said, “Jodi, your mind works faster than the letters on the page. Let’s try something. Read this line by singing it. Go on. You can do it.”
Jodi began singing the words and before she was aware, she had finished the page without any problems. “Wow! I never knew I could do this. Thank you, Mrs. Easten.”
Each time Jodi returned to her class, Mrs. Easten would quietly remind her, “You can do it.” And Jodi did.
Discussion: Is there someone in your life who encourages you? You can also remind yourself that you can do it. It might take practice, but the longer you tell yourself “you can do it,” the more likely you will.