Leadership / Competition / Winning / Motivation
Leadership Moment — 31 Oct 23
The Will to Win . . .
Where does the will to win come from? Perhaps more to my point, the will to achieve excellence? I have two teenage sons. Both make pretty good grades, both play football and wrestle. Both are devastatingly handsome like their father . . .
I have one burning the midnight oil, sometimes until 1 or 2 in the morning doing homework. He could get more sleep if he were okay with just B’s or C’s but he’s developed a drive to do better. It doesn’t come easy for him. He struggles with time management and he struggles to stay on task sometimes. Of course both of those lead to longer study times. We’re working on it . . .
My other son burns for football. His grades are pretty good, 3.2–3.5ish but his raison d’ être is football. He has his sights set on playing in the NFL. I don’t tell him no. I don’t tell him that’s unlikely. I try to help him understand how steep the hill is and the sacrifice it will take.
It’s kind of sinking in with him. His team is 2–7 with one game remaining. He’s learning about losing. His response? He’s getting up at 5 a.m. to lift before school. Coach told him his endurance is lacking. He goes for 4–5 mile runs on Sundays. By the way, he’s the player that never…
