I was so inspired by two cents worth of advice I overheard my husband B give our son K this soccer season two different times…which actually makes it four cents worth of advice.
The first thing I overheard was him telling our little guy that we need to get to soccer practice early so that he will have time to play with the older kids. The only way we get better at something is to play (or work) with people who are better, taller, stronger, more experienced, etc. at something than we are. That is a lesson that I learned from my dad growing up as well so it was extra sweet to hear B explain that truth to K and a great reminder to myself.
The second thing I overheard was B telling K to be sure to celebrate with his teammates after they make a goal. You see, our little guy is at the age where all the kids run to their parents in the stands to give a high five and celebrate. B wanted to make it a point to have our son really and truly support his fellow teammates. He never did score a goal during a game the whole season – although he scored twice for the other team, (like mother like son) BUT we were incredibly proud of him because all season long he hunted down his teammates who DID score goals and high-fived and celebrated with them as if they had just won the World Cup. His encouragement was contagious.
So the four cents I acquired from this soccer season summed up are:
1) Surround yourself with people who are better or more experienced than you are if you want to get better at something.
2) Celebrate the victories of others in your field.
#twocents