My youngest is part of a county recreational volleyball team. He's played for the past two years and during the fall and winter seasons. It's been an advantageous opportunity for my son. He is able to get more reps and touches with a team where he can hone his skills before his high school season kicks off in March. With a weekly practice and Sunday games, some weekends featuring doubleheaders, my son is growing his love for the game.
The league has various levels of play; some players are on club teams, and then some have high school physical education class proficiency. All teammates who play with my son have played on their high school varsity teams, so they're more skilled, which helps them dominate the games pretty quickly.
The two games I watched were easy wins. The players knew the games would not be as challenging, so they had fun while playing and made silly and purposeful mistakes. After a while, I noticed the coach's frustration. I think he was tired of losing points for no reason. He knew his team could win and didn't want to waste the game. He vocalized his emotions by calling out his son and telling him to get back in the game. Even though he spoke to his son, all of our sons listened, refocused, and ended the game with a win.
On our way home, I asked my son for his highs and lows. While he shared, I thought of the coach's sideline feedback and reminded my son of the purpose of signing up for this league - to use it as training and preparation for the upcoming high school season. My son added that his goal is not only to secure a spot on the team and be in the starting lineup but also to win the county championship. I reminded him that to accomplish those achievements, he must use every opportunity to improve his personal game. This drive for self-improvement, regardless of the company and competition, is what will set him apart and lead him to success.
My phone's storage has been busting out of the seams, so I sifted through photos sometime last week and deleted the unnecessary ones. In my monotonous scroll of hundreds of images, one caught my attention. I quickly forwarded it to my son. It was of him being consoled by his brother after losing last year's quarter-final match against a rival high school team. My older son told his brother never to forget this feeling; use it to get better.
I jogged my son's memory by quoting my older son after sending the photo. Activate every opportunity to sharpen your skills and abilities. Not to waste it by being the same. Level up, not down. Don't play down to your competitor's level but up so you can challenge yourself to maximize your fullest potential.
This mindset of continuous self-improvement is not confined to sports; it transcends into life. Whether it's in sports or our personal and professional lives, everyone desires victory. However, it's the ones who put in the extra effort, who challenge themselves to be better than they were yesterday, that ultimately succeed. We are our own greatest competition, and it's this drive that sets us apart.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. ~1 Corinthians 9:24 (ESV)
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