Hershey State Track Meet

Well, we just got back from the Hershey State Track meet in Pierre, SD. Though it was extremely hot and long, it was fun to watch the Brandon kids compete and do well. My daughter, Olivia, competed in the 400 M run and the 4X100 Meter relay. In each race, she was disappointed in the outcome. After she crossed the finish line in the 400 meter run, she told me she was sorry for not winning. I started thinking about what she said to me later in the day. I think she is a lot like many kids, who feel pressure to get first, or to get straight A's or whatever the case may be. Here's the deal, and this is what I told her: It doesn't matter what place you get. What matters is that you tried your best. So after I explained that to her, I asked her if she tried her best and she said she did. I gave her a hug and said, that's all that matters then. That is all that I ever expect out of my own kids and my students. Try your best, that's it. If you get a C in class, that is okay, as long as you tried your best.  What's important is not getting first place. It's doing your best. If you get third or 4th or even last, it's okay as long as you tried your best.  Now, it does get a little more deeper than this, though. "Trying your best" doesn't just mean trying hard on the day of the race, or the day of the test, or the day of a game. It means preparing. It means practicing, sacrificing, making a commitment. If you don't do any running to get prepared for a race, then you aren't exactly trying your hardest, even if you run hard at the event. Trying your best means doing whatever you can to reach your goals. Are you trying your best? Are you actually working toward goals? To achieve greatness, a great amount of work needs to be put in.