WINTER IS COMING

If you’re a fan of the popular HBO Series Game of Thrones, then you’re familiar with the phrase, “Winter is coming.” It serves as a sort of warning for the citizens of the fictional world of Westeros. Winter brings with it not only the long night and the bitter cold, but also the threat of invasion by an army of zombie soldiers. For those who’ve never experienced this army for themselves, this threat is nothing more than a fairy tale made up by kooky ancestors. But for those who've actually experienced this army in the wilderness – and the reality of the damage it can do – this simple phrase serves as a powerful word of caution. There is unforeseen danger on the horizon. Soon you’ll be facing some new challenges, ones you’ve never seen before and probably aren’t prepared for. If you want to succeed later, then now is the time to get ready.

If you’re working to raise a champion athlete and person, I’ve got a simple word of warning for you today. When it comes to your child's experience in sports and in life, winter is coming. Of course I’m not trying to scare you with some fairy tale about a threat that doesn't really exist. I want you to see clearly today that there is some unforeseen danger on their horizon. Soon they’ll be facing some new challenges, ones they’ve never seen before and probably aren’t prepared for. And if you want them to succeed later, then now is the time to help them get ready.

If you’re serious about helping your young athlete become a champion, then you better be serious about preparing them for what’s ahead. In reality, becoming a champion is hard; that’s why most people don’t do it. For your child, becoming a champion will mean embracing the long, slow process required to reach their full potential. It'll mean fighting, and scraping, and clawing to take another small step forward in their improvement each day. It'll mean overcoming the struggles and adversity that are a part of every champion’s story, on the playing field or in life. It'll mean performing, over and over again in the dark, before their hard work is ever revealed under the bright lights of the big stage. And even then, it may mean failing repeatedly before they ever succeed.

If you’re serious about helping your young athlete become a champion in sports or in life, then you better be serious about preparing them for what’s ahead.

This is the battle they’re headed for. I wish I could tell you there was an easier way, but there’s not. Becoming a champion takes what it takes. As a champion sports parent, it’s your job to see this reality and to prepare your child for it. Mediocre sports parents naively envision effortless success. They expect that positive results will come quickly and easily, and that there will be no fighting, or scraping, or clawing to do. These parents don’t see the important role that struggle, adversity, and failure will inevitably play in their kid’s story, on the playing field or in life, and they don’t recognize the reality of all that time that must be spent working in the dark. Mediocre sports parents have convinced themselves that this impending battle is nothing more than a fairy tale. Maybe they’ve never experienced this fight for themselves – they’ve never really pursued becoming a champion in their own life – and don’t really see what it takes. That's why so often, mediocrity breeds mediocrity.

On the other hand, champion sports parents are likely committed to raising a champion because they’ve pursued becoming a champion themselves. Maybe they’ve pursued it in sports, or in business, or as a spouse, a parent, or a friend. They know the reality of what it takes – the process, the fighting, the struggle, the adversity. They know that if they’re serious about raising a champion themselves, then for their child, that means winter is coming. They’re working hard today to prepare and equip them for the new challenges approaching. Champions see what it takes, and work to help their kids do the same. That's why so often, champions breed champions.

For your child, the battle will be here soon. Maybe it's here in their life already. It's a battle against all those things that can keep them from becoming their best. Mediocrity. Boredom. Obligation. Fear. Excuses. Negativity. Victimization. These enemies won’t be fighting your child with a sword and a shield, but instead with a tiny whispering voice in their ear. They'll speak lies that can cut right through your emerging champion’s potential. “This is too much work. This is too hard,” they'll say. “You’re fighting and scraping and clawing, and you’ve barely gotten any better. It’s not worth it - you might as well give up. Besides, if you’re not good at it today, you probably never will be. Just find someone to blame for your problems. Make it somebody else’s fault. Stop with this battle for a second, and look how many people are over here in my army. It’s so easy over here...and so comfortable. C’mon, enough with the fighting. Just walk away, and accept that you weren’t made for greatness.”

When winter comes, will your child be prepared for the fight? When this new, unforeseen danger threatens on their horizon, will they be equipped for battle? If they’re going to be a champion, there will be some new challenges coming their way, some they’ve never seen before. Will he or she be ready when they come? 

I hope today that you won’t naively ignore the important preparations that need to be made in the life of your child. I hope instead you’ll courageously work to equip them to fight a champion's fight. I hope when mediocrity comes calling, that they’re armed with a tough mind, a passionate heart, and a willing spirit. I hope you’ve given them a clear vision for who they can become and an understanding of what it takes to get there. I hope they beat mediocrity to a pulp, and then goes on their way pursuing greatness. All that and more is possible, but only if…

Only if today you see clearly that winter is coming, and that it’s time to get to work.