Hard Work Beats Talent
Nov 5th, 2009 | By Jessica Parnell | Category: Homeschooling Tips, Lead Article“Hard Work Beats Talent”
These words of wisdom were delivered to my daughters’ soccer team by their soccer coach this weekend just before they headed out on the field to their championship game.
This was his motto all season. Work hard–reap the rewards. And they did. They ran for miles; they did uphill suicides; and they practiced four days a week. This was a team of varying skill. Some had been playing for years; others took up soccer for the first time this year; and still others were building skills that they began developing during the season last year. But all of them were held to the same standard–work hard.
And his training paid off. Our team finished the season as season champs. Undefeated all year, they celebrated their championship win on Saturday with elation.
Matched against the second place team for the final game in the championships, they were facing an all boys team full of talented athletes. It could be said that man to man both teams had an equal amount of talent.
But what set our team apart was a season of hard work. A season of building endurance; a season of learning to work together; and a season inspired by a coach so loved by his team that they were willing to do what it took to meet his expectations.
This is what made them champions.
You know, this same motto should be applied to everything we do. As we work with our children, we seek to help them become successful adults. And that means learning to work hard now–especially when the going gets tough.
They will have struggles; they will have days when things just don’t click; and they will have those moments when nothing comes easily. But if we develop in them a willingness to work hard–they will succeed. If we teach them that they can do it, they can. If we encourage them that even those subjects that they find difficult can be mastered if they choose to work hard and stick with it, they will do it. And if we work hard when the going gets tough and take the time to adjust to their needs, we too will succeed.
Because in the end, hard work beats talent!
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