The Internet Can’t Get Enough of This Boy Who Overcame His Fear of the Deep End

If you would have asked RJ Hampton to jump into the deep end of a pool a couple of years ago, he’d probably run the other way. But ask the brave boy to do it today and he’ll gladly flaunt his skills. As his dad proudly puts it, “this is what overcoming fear looks like.”

House Hampton, the youngster’s father, shared a clip on Twitter from when RJ was 3 years old and physically shaking at the thought of jumping off the diving board. In the background, House encourages his son to jump into the arms of a family friend who also taught Hampton to swim, ABC News reports. His grandfather is also seen in the video standing behind the diving board offering words of support. In the end, RJ was too afraid to make the leap.

Despite RJ’s fear of the deep end, House continued to take him to the pool. When he saw a few older kids jumping off of the diving board, the now 5-year-old boy, who had been recieving swimming lessons, was inspired to give it another go, according to ABC News.

“He asked me if he could try to dive today and I couldn’t believe he went through with it,” House captions a new video of RJ on his Instagram account. “This is what overcoming your fear looks like!”

In the clip, RJ boldly walks to the edge of the diving board, pauses for a few seconds and then bravely dives in. “I was very, very proud of him,” his dad tells ABC News. "I’m of the mindset that you let your children face their fear, and once they get to the other side of fear, there’s an infinite amount of success or possibilities on the other [side].”

As for RJ, he can’t believe how popular his leap of faith has made him. “I didn’t know I was this special,” the little boy tells his dad.

The best part about RJ’s story is that his family let him overcome his fear on his own terms. By giving him swimming lessons and constantly providing words of encouragement, they armed him with all of the tools he needed to believe in himself. Not only did RJ conquer a fear, but he also walked away with an important life lesson that’s bound to take him far in life.

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