Another day in Dallas and another day that the weather approaches 100 degrees. I will admit I truly love the heat and dislike cold weather and HATE snow! As I am getting dressed and stretching for my softball game tonight I am a little more excited than normal. I have a little more bounce in my step than most other days. Why you ask? Because I have an early game and my son will be watching me play for the first time. He has become a really good baseball player and I watch him as much as I can and now he gets to watch Dad, the old man and see if I can play this game.
I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy having him there, cheering me on. It was cool to be in the field and see him in the dugout. He was actually watching me, trying to understand the game a little more and NOT playing his iTouch! That in itself was a shock.
I pride myself on always giving my all, trying 110% every time I am playing a sport but I realized that might not be the case! Ugh I found myself digging a little deeper, running a little harder and concentrating a little more because my little guy (thanks J) was watching, cheering and hopefully was going to be a little more proud of me and my athleticism.
Do you try a little harder when:
- Your friends or family are watching?
- You are playing the first place team?
- You are playing a team or person you lost to a few weeks earlier?
I thought I always played hard and at the same level and intensity game after game but actually that doesn’t appear to be true.
- Is it true with you?
PS – This story isn’t about how I did – but if you are curious I had a really good game and went 3 for 4, drove in a couple of runs and played well in the field.
Amy Shields says:
First of all; way to go, Dad! Second, I think I might be the opposite. As hard as it is to imagine, I get a little “stage fright” and think I do better when nobody (I care about) is watching.
Actually, I think I just hold back a bit because I don’t want to embarrass myself. Thanks for sharing, though; I’m sure your son will remember these moments when HE is your age!
Chris Bonney says:
I try to give every client the full treatment, no matter how dull the project or the subject being studied seems, because it’s the research and how it gets used that excites me. I surprise myself sometimes that I can get as excited about some esoteric aspect of thermoformed plastics or hot dogs as I can about research involving some juicy aspect of public policy. I realized early on that it would be easy to give less for clients who you don’t feel you have a good connection to. But I find I try even harder for them lest I not give them a fair shake. You never know where your referrals are going to come from!
I don’t play sports any more. But I find I’m even more driven in my photographic pursuits. On days when I don’t feel like I’m “in the groove,” it would be easy just to come home and put the camera down. Instead, I pledge to myself to find something in every situation that I can be proud of. That discipline frequently propels to make artistic discoveries I wouldn’t have otherwise made.
Jim Whaley says:
What I like about your story Merrill is that it about the action. Many times with our children it is about the being there. If only that were the the case with our business lives. Showing up is important, but in order to separate yourself from the pack takes a level of commitment that is hard to quantify.
I like to think of it this way:
I don’t know whether it takes my 90% or my 110% effort to be successful in any given pursuit. That is above my pay grade to truly know that. But what is does require is that I give it the best thinking and commitment at that time. That is all I can do and what is professionally expected of me.
What I do know is…… that more often than not…if I do just 5% or 10% more than is expected, I have usually hit a home run. And by expected, I mean expected of myself….
Jim Whaley