LAST year I floated the idea of buying a surf skateboard.

To put it mildly, my wife was less than impressed.

She argued (quite rightly) that no self-respecting head teacher should be going around a village on a skateboard.

But I’m a big believer that you should never worry about what anyone else thinks of you, it’s better just to enjoy what you like doing.

So, I bought it.

Despite never using one before, I started to get the hang of it.

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At the ripe old age of 36, I had gained a new skill.

This week my four-year-old learnt to ride his bike without stabilisers.

He went through the same milestones as me such as falling off, hurting his leg, wanting to go home when it got difficult, but he persisted and got there in the end.

The odd thing is, we absolutely expect young children to acquire knowledge and skills at a dizzying rate but as we get older, we don’t believe the same is possible for ourselves.

There suddenly comes a time in our lives when it becomes acceptable to say things like, ‘I’m not good at maths,’ or ‘I can’t ride a bike.’

But the reality is anyone, at any age, is able to gain new skills, they just have to be prepared to practise and not give up when things get difficult.

With this in mind, lockdown could be the perfect opportunity for everyone in your household to try and gain a new skill.

With the aid of the internet, you can receive expert, free tuition on almost anything.

So, if you have ever thought about learning to play the guitar, speak another language or even start to skateboard, there is no time like the present.

Just remember, as we often say to students at Whitmore High School, anything is possible as long as you work hard enough and keep positive!