About six months ago, I joined a gym.

Every morning, there is one personal trainer there who works out at the same time that my little group does our workout.

He does his "routine" with such a quiet determination that he makes it all look very easy, although I know all too well how hard he is working.

Whenever I tend to complain and quit, I watch him push himself to his own limits, and I find myself motivated to work as hard and without complaint.

A couple of weeks ago, I was watching him do chin-ups. He made them look effortless. I broke away from my group and asked him if I could try a chin-up.

I had never tried before, but he just made it look so easy. He eagerly stepped aside and encouraged me to step up to the bar.

I pulled myself up without thinking… once… then twice. That was all I had in me. I had no strength left.

I told him that was all I had, so he stepped up behind me and pushed me up for a third and fourth "pull." It felt so good.

The next day when I was done with my workout, I asked him to spot me again. Again, I did two. Again on day three and so on.

I thought it was pitiful that I could only do two, but when I came to the gym at the end of the week, he was standing there just shaking his head.

When I asked him what was up, he said he was impressed with my chin-ups.

He told me that when they are training firefighters, the men are required to do five chin-ups, and women are required to do one or two.

He explained that most people can't do them at all, and that he was amazed that I could.

He further told me that if I practised every day, I would be doing five or six in no time.

At this point I should probably add that I am 50 years old… and female.

Had he told me at the very beginning how difficult it was, I more than likely would not have tried at all.

Or I might have tried, but given it only half an effort, because failure would have been the expectation.

I applaud him for letting me believe that for me, it was not only a possibility, but that success was a realistic expectation.