I was singing a children’s song to a bunch of children. Thankfully another adult was leading the song because — unbeknownst to me — the song had gestures. Since I didn’t want to accidentally lead any children astray, I sang along and watched. It seemed like this was a song that many of the children were already familiar with because most of them effortlessly moved their arms to the music.

For a moment, I felt incompetent. I wanted to move to the back of the room so no one would see my shortcomings, but I didn’t. Looking back, I am proud of myself for doing what I could — sing and try to learn the gestures for next time. Maybe there was a child in there who was still learning the tune, the words, or the gestures, and I made them feel more comfortable.

Fitness, like singing a new song, isn’t all or nothing. You don’t need to know the words to enjoy humming along to a song, and you don’t need to be able to run a six minute mile to enjoy walking a mile. Are you letting your perceived incompetence hold you back from living life to the fullest? If so, I encourage you to do what you can to join the song.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week.