CHAMPIONS FINISH

There are a number of qualities that separate the champions from everyone else. Champions give their very best. They overcome challenges and adversity. They get better and help those around them get better, too. They are unique and uncommon in the work they do and in how they go about doing it. Of all the ways you can differentiate the very best from everyone else, here’s one of the most important: champions finish.

The truth is, just about anyone can start. It's one of the easiest things to do. Every day ideas are born, responsibilities are accepted, and commitments are made. You have ideas and responsibilities and commitments in your life, I’m sure, and your young athlete is probably starting to have some in their life, too. Unfortunately, every day there are also people abandoning the important ideas, responsibilities, and commitments they have – despite their value and importance – because things have gotten tough. It’s important for each of us to see (and as champion sports parents, to help our kids see, too) that if any important task is to be completed, then it will almost always require overcoming some adversity to do it. For too many people today, it’s easier to walk away from a difficult job half done than it is to finish what they started.

But the ability to finish – and not just finish, but finish strong – is what makes a champion a champion. It's a common characteristic of the very best in any area. In sports or in parenting. In marriage or work or friendship. When things get tough, champions are able to keep their eye on the prize, dig deep, and push themselves forward to success. They just seem to find a way to get the job done.

When things get tough, champions are able to keep their eye on the prize, dig deep, and push themselves forward to success. They just seem to find a way to get the job done.

If your child is an athlete at any level, then you have a great opportunity to help him or her develop a champion’s mindset when it comes to finishing. If they're serious about pursuing success, in sports and beyond, there will undoubtedly be roadblocks, challenges, and struggles along the way. At some point your child may be tempted to walk away from a difficult job that’s half done, instead of finishing what they started.

If that day comes, I hope you’ll see the important role you have in helping your child keep their eye on the prize, dig deep, and push themselves forward to success. When things get tough, your support and encouragement will be critical. As a sports parent, it's important to remember that what you choose to emphasize is what your child will learn to value. You should constantly be aware of the opportunities you have to encourage and then celebrate your child's strong, courageous finish. In doing so, you positively reinforce this simple yet significant message: that champions finish. And you, my child, can too.

Just as importantly, I hope you’ll see that the best way to teach your child how to finish strong in their life is to model what it looks like to finish strong in your own life. Remember, champions breed champions. That means that if you want your child to have the toughness – not just to have important ideas and responsibilities and commitments in their life, but to see them through to completion – then you’ve got to have the toughness to see those things through in your own life, too. As a professional, as a parent, as a spouse and everywhere else, despite the long, busy days you’re facing, do more than just crawl to the finish line. Push through it, and separate yourself from everyone else. After all, anyone can start...but champions finish.