“You will never WIN unless you put in the work required to WIN.” – Judge Graham
If you are reading this blog post and you also follow me, then you know all too well that in the real world nothing is given to you. You have to fight for every inch to be successful in the marketplace. You sure as hell are not given a trophy for showing up. I attribute my success to my relentless focus and determination to WIN, which I learned from losing. Team sports for me and specifically football shaped me as an individual and prepared me for the real world. When I was growing up, it was well known that a person had to work really hard to make the team and to earn the starting spot every week.
I also had to keep my grades up in order to play. These were all critical lessons that prepared me for the real world. I think you will never really hit your full potential unless you know what it’s like to lose and appreciate what it’s like to win. Losing sucks and it feels awful, but it is critical to growing.
Losing makes you understand how hard you will need to work in order to have the best shot next time to WIN. If you are able to WIN, then you sure as hell appreciate that WIN based on all the work that it took. The “everyone makes the team and gets a trophy,” world we are living in now is doing a huge injustice to our kids. We are teaching them that everyone WINS and that you don’t need to work hard for a WIN because you will still get a trophy.
This is a HUGE problem and we are setting up this generation for real failure and disappointment in the marketplace. We need to start teaching our kids the importance of commitment, hard work and team work so they are prepared for the harsh environment of the real world. Not making a team, losing a game and having to put in hard work every day are great life lessons. These lessons will shape our kids. They will grow into productive workers who will change the world for the better.
4 things to do to prepare your kids for the real world:
- Make them earn their allowance and do chores.
- Have them only play on sports teams they have to try out for and play in a league that keeps score.
- Telling them everyday that you support and love them no matter what and that it’s okay to lose as long as they put in the work.
- If they make a team, make them stay committed to their teammates and make them practice, they need to learn the importance of team work.
Let’s all focus on shaping and preparing our youth to be winners in the real world. Make It Happen!
Judge Graham
www.JudgeGraham.com
