Achieving a Personal Goal — ICSE Narrative Essay

Learning something new was a very scary experience. One of the most difficult things, I have ever had to do in school was to learn cycling. I was mortally afraid of falling and injuring myself. I watched my friends with disdain, as they cycled to school, while I trudged along with my school bag on my shoulder. Occasionally a friend would give me a lift on his bicycle, which would make me feel even more lowly and awkward. One day I finally decided to learn this important skill and requested my father to help me.

New situations always made me a bit nervous and my first cycling lesson was no exception. Early Sunday morning when everyone was fast asleep, I crept out of bed, put on my full sleeves shirt and trousers, to protect me from injury. As I wheeled out my brother’s bicycle on to the driveway, my father called out to me. He was glossing over the newspaper, which he put aside as he came towards me. We steadily made our way to the park adjacent to our house.

Reaching the park, he made me sit on the cycle holding the seat from behind. My legs barely touched the lower pedal. A stream of instructions followed, like “Hold the handle straight”, “Look straight ahead”, “Don’t stop peddling, etc.” He gave an initial push to the cycle from behind. I found these coordinated instructions quite difficult to follow, and soon I was down on my knees, with the cycle over me. However the strong grip of my father softened the fall and I escaped with minor bruises. But my father was patient. He encouraged me saying “Good, keep it up Sumit”. This boosted my confidence. I was up on my feet. Holding the handle of the cycle firmly, I pushed the pedal down with my legs, at the same time trying to retain my upright position. The very presence of my father boosted my confidence no end. In about an hour’s time, I learnt to coordinate the movements, as my father ran behind holding the seat of the cycle.

The next day we repeated the entire exercise, completing one round of the park. During the second round I felt more free and easy, as I feverishly pushed the pedals. To my surprise I found my father standing right in front of me smiling and waving. He had intentionally let go of my seat after the first round. I had indeed mastered the skill of cycling. It was a wonderful free feeling—like flying. From that day onwards, it became my hobby and later fetched me the inter school championship trophy.

Learning to cycle was not easy for me. However my persistence in achieving this personal goal finally paid off. Now whenever I am faced with a new challenge, I am not nervous. This is because I know that as I practice more, my skills would get better. This has made me more confident and bold. It is indeed a wonderful feeling when you achieve a goal, you have set for yourself.