It’s easy to quit when you’re tired. When I reach the point of exhaustion, I always try to push myself to keep going. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t.
On the days that I think I can’t, when there’s someone there to give me that extra kick in the but, there’s a 99% chance that I find the strength to rise to the occasion.
I’m sharing this because of my experience tonight with my son at wrestling practice.
Practice consist of a 90 minute drilling session followed by 30 minutes of live wrestling. After that, there is another 15 to 20 minutes of conditioning. For a 7 year old kid, this feels like an eternity.
If that’s not enough, my son then “chooses” to climb a long rope up to the ceiling to top off what’s already a tough practice session. Most days this is routine for him, but today he wanted to quit at the end.
In the spirit of teaching him a lesson on pushing himself when he’s tired, I encouraged him to dig deeper and keep trying to pull himself up the rope. What usually is a 60 second activity then turned into a 20 minute pouting fest.
However, when it was all said and done, my son pulled it together and found that little extra something he needed to get to the top.
On the ride home from practice, he surprised me by thanking me for pushing him and not letting him quit. I smiled from ear to ear, because the last thing I wanted was him to be upset with me for being too tough. I think it’s safe to say he learned the lesson.
That was the moment it hit me. Everyone needs someone to occasionally push them when they’re tired. Everyone occasionally needs a little tough love.
Yes, more often than not you must be able to push yourself. The reality, however, is that having someone there to push you gives you a big advantage.
So tonight I want to give a shout out to all the coaches, parents, spouses, and friends who eliminate quitting as an option.
I want to give a shout out to those who see something in someone when they don’t see it in themselves; then give them the tough love needed so they can see it too.
I want to give a shout out to anyone who has pushed someone to keep going when they thought they couldn’t.
You’re an unsung hero who deserves recognition for doing what you do. You don’t get much credit for being the asshole who delivers the tough love. Yet, without you, many of us couldn’t keep going. So please keep doing what you’re doing. The world needs you.