Student’s Last Name 1
Student’s Full Name
Kaely Horton
WR121
1/11/2015
The “I Can Do It” Moment
Have you ever had that moment in your life when you suddenly realized that you can do
it? It doesn’t matter what “it” is, but the fact that you can do something that you couldn’t do
before. Something that seemed impossible is suddenly within reach. It’s such an empowering
feeling to know that you are stronger than you were yesterday. It gives you the encouragement to
keep moving forward to chase your dreams, even when they seem impossible. I had an “I can do
it” moment that helped shape me into who I am today.
I was born with tight tendons all through my legs and hips. I couldn’t put my heels on the
ground when I was first learning to walk. I went through doctor after doctor as they all tried to
figure out how to help. They put casts on my legs in an attempt to “mold” my legs in the right
place. They put me through physical therapy, and I went to a chiropractor. The doctors tried, but
they failed. They gave me and my parents two choices, either I need to learn how to stretch my
tendons on my own or I needed surgery. Even if I did succeed in stretching them, I would never
be able to be very active or strong. My legs would never be able to handle a lot of stress. I was
determined, however, to stretch my tendons out without surgery. I would not let this disable me.
It took many years, but I did get control of my tendons to some degree. I had to stretch
my tendons for at least fifteen to twenty minutes every day. It felt like I was tearing the muscles
in my legs, and it wasn’t unusual for me to cry from the pain while stretching. Even though it
hurt, I would not let my tendons hold me back. What I didn’t realize, however, was they still
Student’s Last Name 2
were. In my head, it was still impossible for me to be an active person. It was impossible for me
to be strong. I continued to believe this, until I decided that I wanted to learn how to dance.
This was not an easy decision for me and my parents. I was not supposed to be able to
dance because it’s requires a lot of physical strength. I remember hearing that “[I] would be
setting myself up to fail.” My mom was terrified that not being capable of dancing would make
me lose the self confidence that I had managed to gain when I got slight control of my tendons.
Even with her being hesitant, she allowed me to try.
We stayed up really late that night looking into the dance studios in our area, and I was
unbelievably excited when we found one. We called the next day and set up for me to join class
the next week. I was so excited, but I was also very scared. I had been told my whole life that it
would be impossible for me to dance. I had two choices, fail or prove the doctors wrong.
Between the two choices, I would not settle for failing.
The class was hard, and painful. I had to work my tendons in ways that they did not want
to work. Even with the pain, I kept going. I still didn’t know if I was good or if I was just
fighting the fact that I couldn’t do it. I hadn’t had my moment yet.
My moment was during a show when I was chosen to perform the leading part in a dance
routine. I performed with all the passion I had in me, and with all the pain that I had fought
through. Time stood still, and I felt the emotional chains break. I was free from the chains of
doubt that followed me everywhere and told me that I can’t do it. When the song had ended, I
felt everyone applauding and some were even crying. I was told that night that the emotions that
were pouring out of me were powerful and told the story perfectly. I felt like I wasn’t disabled
for the first time in my life. I felt powerful and capable of doing anything I put my mind into.
This was the moment that taught me to never let someone tell me that I can’t do something.
Student’s Last Name 3
In the months that followed, I progressed faster than ever in my dance class. I started to
weight train to get stronger, and I would practice the dance moves everywhere I went. I went
from being the newbie at class to being the teacher’s assistant. I would catch any new students up
to the rest of the class. Every time a new student would say “I can’t do it,” I would tell them
what I overcame and tell them that they can do whatever they put their minds to. I would tell
them to verbally say “I can do it.” Shortly after they changed their mind set, they would succeed.
I have kept that mind set for everything I have done. I enjoy it now when someone tells
me that something is impossible. I like being a person that beats the odds. The intense struggle in
my life has taught me to never take anything for granted because there is someone that doesn’t
have it. Most people would not even think twice about their ability to flatten their feet, until they
meet me. I am a living testimony that nothing is impossible to overcome. The trick is to decide
that nothing will keep you back and look at everything from a different perspective. The trick is
to learn things your own way. I have taught myself to never consider “good enough” to be good
enough.
Now I am not saying that my moment has made me perfect. That is far from the truth
because I am human and I make mistakes daily. The difference between who I was before and
who I am now is that I will not let it hold me back. I have more issues and I have made more
mistake than I can name, but that is what makes me who I am. I learn from my mistakes and try
to do better the next time around. I am not trying to be perfect, but I am trying to be better than I
was yesterday. I compete with who I was yesterday because I want to grow more. I strive for
progress, and I use my “disabilities” to my advantage. I will continue to better myself for the rest
of my life.
Student’s Last Name 4
Six years after that night, I am still dancing and chasing my dreams. I no longer see my
tendons as a disability, but as an important part of me. My struggles taught me to chase my
dreams and not allow anyone to tell me that I can’t do something. That moment that I felt
successful was one of the moments that made me the person I am today. I have proved the
doctors wrong in many ways because not only am I active, but I am also very strong. That one
moment helped make me who I am today. That moment on that stage was the first time I felt like
I could do anything.