| Dear Kids: | | | | to become a little bit stronger every day, every |
| I'm a former teacher who spent 17 years teaching | | | | week, every month, all year long, would you have |
| physical education and coaching various sports. I'm | | | | lots of respect for that person? Would you be |
| also a father who has two adult age kids - to me | | | | inclined to listen to that person's advice, and follow it |
| they're still kids just like you will always be to your | | | | because you know it'll make you stronger? In the |
| Mom and Dad. | | | | long run, could an adult like this even turn out to be |
| Bad, but Never Weak | | | | your friend? |
| One way or the other, in my sixty years, I've known | | | | Every Day, Week, Month |
| lots of kids and I confess that I've never met even | | | | Let's take this conversation in a little different |
| one who wants to be weak at anything. I've met | | | | direction. Do you know any kids who make a |
| lots of kids who will tell you they want to be bad, | | | | practice of growing a little stronger every day, every |
| but never one who wants to be weak. Every kid I've | | | | week, every month, all year long? If someone |
| ever known wants to be strong (independent and | | | | actually did that, starting at a young age, right on into |
| adult-like) at everything and weak (dependent and | | | | adulthood, can you imagine just how strong that |
| child-like) at nothing, and I presume you're no | | | | person would actually become? If you did that |
| exception to the rule. | | | | starting at a young age, can you imagine how strong |
| Strong Kids | | | | you'd be? Can you imagine how confident you'd be? |
| In that light, I've also noticed that the kids who are | | | | Can you imagine how unique, how interesting, and |
| really strong at lots of things are also confident, and | | | | how cool you'd be? |
| they have no need of being pretentious about much | | | | What's Important to You? |
| of anything. They know who they are, and they're | | | | I guess the important question now is, "What's really |
| generally happy with that. | | | | important to you?" Given the opportunity, in what |
| Weak Kids | | | | ways would you like to become strong? Would you |
| On the other hand, kids who feel like they're weak in | | | | like to have a strong body that allows you to run |
| various ways, usually lack confidence and they often | | | | fast, jump high, move quickly from side to side, climb |
| feel the need to pretend to be tough, defiant, and | | | | ropes, mountains, etc? Would you like to have a |
| yes BAD. These kids feel threatened by other | | | | strong mind with which you can think, calculate, |
| people, especially those who are different from | | | | understand, read, and write creatively and |
| them, and they hide behind all kinds of self erected | | | | productively? Would you like to have a strong spirit |
| walls and fences, including the way they dress, wear | | | | that gallops to the top of the hill each morning, mane |
| their hair, the music they listen to, and the way they | | | | and tail flowing in the breeze, rearing up, silhouetted |
| interact with their parents, teachers, and peers. | | | | against the horizon in which your mind and body |
| The Antidote | | | | merge and express your admiration and appreciation |
| These same kids still want to be strong at | | | | to Mother Nature? God? Life? |
| everything. But their feeling of weakness inhibits their | | | | Relentless Persistence, the Key of Keys |
| ability to explore new possibilities because they're | | | | In order to experience life at this level, you must first |
| scared of failing and being humiliated in front of their | | | | recognize that you can become a little stronger |
| friends. It's much safer and easier to be able to claim, | | | | every day, every week, every month, every year, |
| "I didn't try." At least there's a viable excuse for | | | | for many years running. You must also recognize that |
| failure, and some degree of cool is maintained. The | | | | you can progress regularly, if you take small bites, |
| antidote of course is to start young and help these | | | | designed to continually reignite your motivation, |
| kids learn to become strong at all kinds of things. | | | | resulting in a lifelong pattern of Relentless Persistence. |
| Under these conditions the walls and fences of | | | | Finally, you must recognize that through Relentless |
| pretension are never erected. | | | | Persistence, almost any goal can be reached by |
| A Friend? | | | | almost anyone who wants to be strong at |
| Now let me ask you a question. If you knew an adult | | | | everything and weak at nothing. Carpe diem! |
| - a teacher or a parent - who would help you learn | | | | |