Never say Never

Last week, while sitting at church and listening to our pastor Justin give the message, I got a tap on my shoulder and someone was asking if I could simultaneously translate the message, I said "No, sorry, I can't do that, I'm not good at it." as I've always said for the last 11 years anytime anybody has asked me to translate.

Yes, I speak Spanish. Yes I've been speaking it for a decade and a half. Yes we speak it at our home more than English, but to listen to someone speak Spanish and simultaneously translate it into English, I cannot do that.

5 more minutes into the message, I got another tap on my shoulder. This time it was from my friend Ale. She is one of the normal translators and definitely has a gift for it. But this morning, Ale looked horribly sick and really needed to go home and rest, she looked at me with pleading eyes "Dom, can you please translate? There's nobody else here who can do it today. Just give it a try, you can do it."

And that's how I ended up facing one of my fears. Something I'd convinced myself 11 years ago that I was incapable of doing. Something I was way too scared to ever try.

Whenever you're scared of something, don't let that define you. 

We all feel it, but step up. - Vince Vaughn

And ironically, being thrown into the simultaneous translating as Justin was in the middle of some hilarious anecdote about lifting too many weights at the gym and passing out in front of the guys in the locker room - it worked.

I magically realized that I could do this. I could listen to someone and speak at the same time and it made sense.

Not only could I do it this, I truly enjoyed it.

What?! All those years of saying "never" I was limiting myself to what I thought I could do. It only makes me wonder how often I do this in other areas of my life or with other things that I'm too scared to even try or convinced I'd never be able to do.

The translating set-up. You listen with headphones and speak into a mini mic.

So here's to trying new things even when we're afraid and to not limiting ourselves because of what we "think" we are capable of. It's funny as a mom or as a teacher, I am constantly telling my children and students to "Shoot for the stars", "Don't limit yourself" and "You can do anything you set your mind to." Apparently I need to listen to the message myself and not just feed it to others.

Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion. -Michael Jordan

And if you're in Guadalajara and looking for an amazing community to be a part of, come join us on Sundays at The House. Our church has seriously been such a huge part of our lives and we couldn't imagine being on this journey called life without the family we've discovered over the last 5 years at "The House." (and the coffee house open Tuesday-Saturday is honestly the best in GDL - roasted in house and it's all fair trade supporting women and children in Mexico!) All the services are in Spanish with English translation - we'd love to see you there!