What can a 6-year old teach you about your will to succeed? What my son is doing to get better at baseball is a great example of being willing to succeed.
My son just hit the midpoint of his little league baseball season, and was fortunate enough to be chosen to play in the mid-season “All-Star” game. That has been one of the many highlights of his season so far. It was a shock to me that “All-Star” teams were chosen at that age. I am not sure how you determine who is an “All-Star”, and who isn’t, but I do know that he plays and practices almost daily and is constantly improving because of this. So I knew when he was selected that he’d do his best because he is willing to play, practice, and work at baseball.
We all start somewhere
About a month ago, before I even knew there would be an “All-Star” game, I began to take him to our local sports facility to practice his hitting, catching and throwing. Since then he asks me almost every day, “can we go to Sports of All Sorts for baseball today?” As a dad, who played baseball, that is exciting! 🙂 We don’t go daily, but we go a few times per week. We have fun, but I also challenge him.
Your start doesn’t have to be where you finish
Sometimes he gets a little discouraged when trying a new drill. I notice he usually does when it feels uncomfortable, it is hard to him, or he isn’t having much success. When he lets me know of his discouragement I have a quote I say in response. It is a simple quote. One that has helped me press through when doing something difficult or new. I tell him…
“Are you willing to be bad, before you are good?”
The first time I said that to him I explained in most things we do, we aren’t very good at first. Then as we continue to work at them, we become good. This applies to reading, writing, and math. It applies to baseball, basketball, and soccer. It applies to marriage, parenting, and relationships. Running, bike riding, dieting, business, ministry, and homeschooling. Typically we don’t start as the best, or the expert.
The difference: willing vs. unwilling
When we are willing, this willingness is what makes people succeed in the various areas of their lives. Yet, many people never begin, or they quit prematurely because they are unwilling to be bad, before being good. The business never gets off the ground, the marriage ends in divorce, or the fitness goals are never reached. All because we are not willing to be bad first.
I ask you the same question, “Are You Willing?” I encourage you to be willing, and go from being bad to being good.
Question: Please share an example of something you’ve done (or someone you know), that started off really bad before getting really good.