Grit on a Sunday

Grit.....

“Every great story happened when someone decided not to give up.” Spryte Loriano

Last Sunday, I woke up at 6am to bring my daughter to a swim meet. There have been a lot of early mornings, late nights, and long days spent practicing, learning, and waiting for a race.

What really hit me this morning while waiting for things to start was the atmosphere. Here are 100’s of kids that woke up very early on a Sunday to ……… probably lose.  Yes, that’s right.  Unfortunately, 98% of these kids will not win their race today.  Most races will have upwards of 50 people swimming (in 5 separate heats) to see who “wins”.  What other sport has 1 in 50 people winning? 

You could go YEARS without technically winning a race and still be a phenomenal swimmer. How do they stay motivated?  These kids are fortunate enough to have amazing coaches/mentors that teach them about self-improvement.  Rather than racing against others to create a win-lose scenario, you race against yourself.  Well, you technically race against your best time and you’re constantly trying to improve your time.  Is there a more precise way to measure growth?  It’s the same distance, same water, same clock. 

These kids are not just motivated by beating their best times.  They enjoy being coached by positive minded leaders, teammates, and parents.  They love being surrounded by like-minded kids that love to compete and want to grow. 

As an adult, I can’t help but relate to this.  These kids have more grit than most adults I know (including myself).  How many of us can just brush off things like not getting a job, not closing a sale, or not getting promoted?  I guess the old adage is true, the teacher sometimes becomes the student.  I think we can all learn a lot from our kids!

Ps - I am so proud to watch my daughter be a part of this amazing sport.  I love that she is learning such amazing life lessons before she is even a teenager.  Keep on swimming!