What’s the single biggest predictor of success – at school, at work, at sports, at life?
It’s not ability. It’s not heredity. I’ll tell you what it is.
Persistence. Effort. Perseverance.
(Hey, why use just one word, when three will do?)
Put ‘em together, you’ve got PEP!
Yeah, putting PEP into your kid’s life is more challenging these days. Many kids are increasingly sedentary, lethargic, apathetic, or “bored” – while simultaneously being
overstimulated with
information,
entertainment,
and “choice overload.”
More and more kids are unable to sustain their attention to anything lasting longer than
an MTV montage,
a Sports Center highlight,
a YouTube clip,
or a text message.
Too many kids have
an inflated sense of entitlement,
fragile sense of self-worth,
and a near zero level of frustration tolerance.
When the going gets tough, they quit. If they don’t quit, they complain, cry, whine, make excuses, withdraw, tantrum, sulk, or blame others.
Too often they get down on themselves, berating themselves as “failures” because of
some preconceived notion that
it should just be easy,
they should get it right away,
they should instantly be the best.
And if they’re not, then the activity is pointless or somehow they’re completely useless.
I joke with too many teenagers nowadays, some of them with more than passing suicidal thoughts, about how they really must be “total losers” and should be branded with a big “L” on their foreheads. I purposely exaggerate their circumstances until they can see the absurdity of it.
No one is perfect. No one is as glamorous as the celebrity hype machine suggests. Everyone has problems. That doesn’t make life unbearable. It makes life, life!
No daylight, without the darkness.
No rainbow, without the storm.
No joy, without sorrow.
And everyone has blessings.
Everyone has gifts.
Everyone has talents.
It’s not what you’re given in life, it’s what you do with it that matters.
So I work diligently to help kids today find ways to fight through their struggles – whether it’s in math class or in the batter’s box or in the lunchroom with peers.
The biggest muscle that has atrophied in kids today, the one that needs the biggest strengthening program, is the mental muscle of determination.
When faced with a life challenge, every child, every parent, every teacher has a choice.
What will you do with yours?
Imagine your dream.
Set a goal.
Clarify your purpose.
Create a plan.
Connect with your passion.
Focus on priorities.
Act with integrity.
Persist. Practice. Persevere.
Repeat.
Success will come to any of us the “old-fashion way” – when we earn it.
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