Today’s post is more personal than usual, but if you’re interested in learning one of the most powerful lessons of success, read on.
Yesterday started out like any other Sunday for us. As so often is the case these days, my son had another swimming competition. Unfortunately, as I was having trouble with my back, after breakfast I wished him luck and went back to bed to rest.
More than ever, our society has become obsessed with quick success. The truth is for most people who succeed, it’s years of hard work that eventually allowed them to become “over-night” successes.
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But like any parent, I wanted to be there for my son, so I endured the searing pain and made the hour-long trip to where the competition was being held. Two months ago, his medley team narrowly missed out on qualifying, a mere 0.6 seconds was all that separated them from a place in JO, the Junior Olympics. The freestyle team which he was also a part of was a good three seconds away. Three competitions came and went and my son ended up getting replaced on the medley team. Yesterday was his last chance to qualify and only as a member of the freestyle team.
Their race was at 2pm and as the time approached I found myself getting more and more nervous. The time needed to qualify – 2:05:30. As the final swimmer touched the wall, I looked up, their time – 2:05:91. Heartbreaking, but nonetheless an impressive improvement in such a short time. It just wasn’t his time, yet.
But then I found out that individuals and teams within one second would get another crack at qualifying. There was a chance, but a slim one.
We watched all the other kids take their second shot, most falling just short, with a few managing to make the cut. My son’s team swam last. All the parents who were still left watched on. The first swimmer had close to his best, as did my son who swam second. The third swimmer had his best time ever, putting them within reach. It was going to be close. As the final swimmer approached the wall, I began counting the seconds. Three, four, five. Touch. It was close, but…2:05:19. They had done it. They had qualified for the Junior Olympics.
Albert Einstein is said to have called “the power of compound interest the most powerful force in the universe.” The best way I’ve heard this explained was in Jeff Olson’s book The Slight Edge when two brothers are given a choice – a million dollars or having a penny that doubles every day for 30 days. The first son takes the million dollars upfront while the other takes the penny. On day 21, the second brother only had $83,866.08. However, by the end of the month, he had well over $10 million.
Jeff Olson’s point has nothing to do with investing, although it is a powerful lesson for would be investors. He wants people to understand that small things done consistently over time, can yield incredible results.
It’s the apple a day versus a bag of potato chips concept. At first, neither will have much effect, but over time, the positive or negative effects become evident. My son has swam four to five times a week for the past three years. He wasn’t selected for the top group this spring, so he continued to work hard in the advanced class. As a result, he was selected as a member of both the relay teams.
He didn’t give up, and despite losing his space on the medley team, he didn’t lose heart. He just kept at it. The result – a chance to compete against the best next month. He’ll train harder than he’s ever had to with a 7-day swim camp with the top kids, followed by another 4-day special Junior Olympics training.
He’s got morning practice almost every day over his “vacation,” so I wonder how much he’ll have improved by next month. What I do know is my son is a competitor. He has always been someone that rises to the challenge, and with this being on the big stage, I have no doubt he’ll bring his A game. Will he win? Competition will be fierce, but whether he wins or loses, it doesn’t make a difference, because he’ll be one step closer to his goal of becoming an Olympic champion.
Life has a way of bending to those who never give up.
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Swimming is about small improvements. A stroke here, a second there. Every little bit counts, and like the penny in Jeff Olson’s book, there will come a time when it’ll all come together for my son, and he’ll start moving up the leaderboard. At present, he’s 10th in the area for his age group in freestyle.
More than ever, our society has become obsessed with quick success. The truth is for most people who succeed, it’s years of hard work that eventually allowed them to become “over-night” successes. My son is just another example of the many people that buy into the concept of hard work. As John Maxwell talks about in his book, Talent Is Never Enough, talent can only get you so far. The rest is up to you.
One expression I’ve heard a lot over the years is, “It’s not fair.” Life is not fair. You get out of life what you put in. It’s what my virtual mentor, Jim Rohn, talked about over and over again in his lectures, “In order to reap, you have to sow.” You have to plant the seeds of your success. They won’t grow overnight. You have to put in the time and the effort, and even then, sometimes it doesn’t happen for you. All that means is you’ve got to keep at it. Life has a way of bending to those who never give up.
My son may just be at the beginning of his journey, but he’s taken the first step. No matter where you find yourself today, get started, and in time, the rewards will come to you as well.
Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash