Life Lessons we can learn from a YoYo
It may seem YoYo’s are a toy of the past but you’d be surprised to know there are national and international competitions for the best YoYo masters of the world. While the YoYo appears to be quite a simple toy, with enough skill, patience and elegance, a YoYo master can create a mesmerizing performance that will entertain anyone. Similarly to a YoYo, life can be challenging and full of surprises, but with time, we gain knowledge and skills to make an amazing journey where we can help others do the same.
Whether you are starting a new sport, buying your first house or traveling somewhere for the first time, it can be nerve wrecking and scary at times. The beauty of this moment is being able to get past your fears and into action. In order to make a YoYo work, it must be actively moving in different directions. In life, we may have to take unexpected turns and make pivots that may change our path. It’s in this process that we can learn to be resilient like a YoYo: no matter where we are headed, we can know for certain we can always adapt to new directions and find countless possibilities for new opportunities.
Did you know that the official name, “YoYo'' was first coined by Pedro Flores, a Filipino businessman and inventor? Flores named the toy “YoYo '' which translated in Tagalog, means “come, come”. Flores initially started making the famous toy for kids in his neighborhood which led him to become the first ever YoYo manufacturer in the U.S. Although Flores had dropped out of college, he was resilient and found a way to make a small toy become the most wanted toy in the U.S. during the late 1920’s. Without determination, perseverance and resilience, Flores would not have been able to turn a toy into a successful business. Flores was able to take a new direction and align the way found an opportunity of a lifetime.
You see, it's not always the wins that we learn the most from but rather the failures we have in life. Failure is a great teacher of improvement that allows us to learn how to excel. It is thanks to the countless hours of practice that world YoYo masters can perform their number one tricks and routines. It’s the numerous times they failed initially that taught them to improve their craft, their speed, and performance. Ultimately, their failures are what refined their YoYo skills.
Do not be afraid of failures, instead embrace them and find how you can use them to improve. Continue practicing your craft until you become a master of it to the point you can teach others to do the same. Allow yourself to pivot whenever you need to: life is not always a straight path but a culmination of twists and turns which make the journey worth it.