Section 4: LIVING WITH GOODNESS - EXAMPLES
REACHING FOR THE STARS
The Yeung Sisters Work through Their Setbacks
This example was written primarily for our younger readers. However, we all experience setbacks as we move through life so we can all benefit from the Yeung sisters example. The key, as they show, is what we do after we experience a setback or outright failure. Do we stop, or do we redouble our efforts and move on?
One of the lessons that we learned was to always be optimistic.
Kimberly Yeung
Starts and Stops
What will you accomplish with your life?
Some of us have been blessed to have encouraging people in our lives who remind us that we can accomplish almost anything if we just work hard and put our minds to it. We set high goals in the classroom, on the ball field, or in the arts. We dream about the day that we will reach our goals and know that we have excelled in what we set out to do. But several times along the way, we hit setbacks.
Someone else made first chair trombone, and we have to sit second chair during the concert. Someone else is the starting quarterback; we start the game on the bench. Our science project goes wrong. We get a C- on a paper. Our artwork didn’t even get a ribbon in the community art show. So, now what?
We may feel discouraged and wonder if our dreams can really come true. The answer is…yes, for sure they can. If you keep working and follow through on what you need to learn or do—if you are willing to keep moving forward—you can reach your goals. You can graduate with good grades…you can become a skillful musician…you can be an engineer or a carpenter or a business owner. Setbacks will happen, but you can still achieve something very important if you keep plugging away.
Kimberly and Rebecca are two sisters who set high goals and worked hard to reach them, even when things didn’t work out as planned.
Kimberly and Rebecca Yeung, sisters from Seattle, have a passion for science. When they were in elementary school, they decided to spend their summer learning as much as they could about the subject. In 2017 (when they were just 12 and 10 years old), they decided to complete a summer rocket launch project. The results gained them international fame when they built and launched their own small spacecraft.
However, they learned that launching rockets if no easy task. They readily admit that not everything worked out with every launch. In their blog, they are honest about their many mistakes. The Yeung sisters, however, just re-evaluated their plans and tried again.
Their ultimate spacecraft, named Loki Lego Launcher, captivated GeekWire’s audience and also got noticed by President Obama, earning them a trip to the White House to show off their creation. Rebecca and Kimberly soon became busy being
“mini celebrity” scientists. They visited NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and attended the GeekWire Summit for kids.
In spite of setbacks and a few crashes along the way, they continued to work to make their next launch a success. Kimberly and Rebecca are excellent examples for us to keep in mind when we experience a setback or failure of some kind. We just have to keep working if we want to “reach the stars” someday.
Don’t Ever Give Up
The Yeung sisters have created a blog to let others follow their adventures. Their successes seem like a dream come true, but it didn’t just happen overnight for them. These young girls worked hard, and they kept going even when things didn’t work as planned. They didn’t let setbacks get in their way. When they miscalculated weather conditions or wind speed, they learned from their mistakes and started again. They had to learn how to use certain tools that they had never used before, and they had to be willing to put in a lot of time.
We can learn a lesson from these young girls. You can “reach for the stars” in your own special and unique way. Don’t let setbacks ground you. Whatever your goals, keep working on them. There will always be “starts and stops” along the way, but you can reach them if you keep working and keep trying to achieve the goal you have set for yourself.
I would say don't give up even if some people tell you, 'You can't do this.'
Just keep on going. Even if something goes wrong, which will happen, just keep trying.
Rebecca Yeung
Questions/Discussion Points
1.
Have you experienced setbacks in goals you are trying to reach?
What can you do to stay motivated and keep working towards that goal?
2.
What personal goals have you already reached?
How did you feel when you achieved your goal?
3.
How often do you reflect on your goals and make sure you are taking steps to reach them?