Freeing a Child From the Stress to be Good Enough

Our Parkour program focuses on the mindset of "Fit to be Useful". This concept means we are seeking to get better (mentally and physically) so we can help others. When we focus on becoming better with altruistic motives, it removes the focus from "Am I good enough?", "Is the other kid better than me?", and "Did I win?". This is why we do not focus on comparison or competition. When we do have tasks and there is an element of racing or competition it is presented in the atmosphere of seeking to become better and using the push to help us do our best, not to help us figure out who is the best.

Too often kids are weighed down by the stress to perform and be good enough. Removing this element frees a child to relax. Sometimes a child has already automated a stressful response to any situation that asks the question "Am I good enough". They often bring this mindset with them to parkour. The beautiful thing about the mind is neuro pathways that aren't used do not continue to be strengthened. So if a child comes to parkour with an automatic stressful reaction and fear of being good enough, participating in an environment which repetitively asks them to fire another thought process of "How can I help others" helps to reduce the strength of their old automatic thought of "Am I good enough?". 

Depending on the kids age and how solid their automatic response of stress and fear of being good enough is in their brain, this can be a long journey or a quick switch. Our coaches are trained to spot negative mindsets and help a child rewire how they talk and eventually how their brain processes.