I was outside with kids yesterday as I am almost every day. My son Andre is a Tennis player. My daughter Eva plays a little too. Beside tennis, they play other sports too. But I think them being 9 and 6 they just want to be playing with bugs and dirt period!
So their dad me, saw how talented and hard working they are and started pushing them.
And pushing them harder. To the point that he’s taking all the fun out of it. But they just want to have fun. They’re 9 and 6!!!
They don’t want to be champions just yet!
What are you doing coach! Are you being the hard ass dad? Yes exactly that’s what I’m now. And it has to change! I’m not helping them getting better. I might be damaging them with this boot camp like lifestyle. It’s time to cool down dad!
Life is a marathon and the goals you’re trying to achieve are very long term goals. Like fitness, leanness, starting business, making million bucks, getting your own six pack abs, becoming Wimbledon champion. They take time. Lots of time! Days, weeks, years!
And if you think you are going to make huge progress in one day pushing yourself to the limits, you’re wrong. Sustainable progress is made in years of daily not too much, not too little effort. That should be your target!
So after my son already played 1 hour intensively against the wall, I called him to play with me for 30 min on the court. We started playing. He was playing fine. But he wasn’t putting much effort into his shots.
That turned me into a devil with old tennis racket! I don’t like no effort!!
I I started yelling at him to put maximum efforts into his shoots. “Son you can get a lot from it if you give me your 100% power effort shots”. The shots didn’t improve. It got worst and I started yelling more.
He wasn’t into it on that court that day with me. He is 9 years old! What do I expect? Exactly! But tell it to a controlling freak – ME! on that court and you might be giving me 100 push ups too!
But he did ok. I was expecting him to give me his best and I wasn’t getting it.
Does that mean he will never be good? Not at all! It’s just one day. Even if it was the whole month. It doesn’t matter! Life is a marathon. And writing this, I’m making a promise that I won’t be such a hard ass dad on the court anymore. It’s not worth taking the fun out of it.
Make my example with my son on a tennis court be good example for you too my fellow six pack abs fitness level seeker. Don’t do too much in one day to the point you take fun out of it. And subsequently you get tired of it and you quit. Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Put some effort into it, try to keep it fun and don’t overdo it. You are more likely to stick with it for long time. And that’s where the success really is found. Sticking with it for long time! Life is a marathon! Enough said.