To say Charles is extremely competitive would be an understatement. If he loses a card game, he’s on the brink of a breakdown. He can’t stand it.
It is also easy to ruffle his feathers, which I really like to do. A few smart comments or jabs and he’s coming after you. For some reason I find this amusing and do it quite frequently.
My dad and I like to combine these two characteristics and challenge him. This is usually in the form of trash talk which he loves
Even though Charles is only 6, his grandfather (my dad) and I have tried to instill in him the importance of practice. One of the lessons my dad taught me at an early age and has stuck with me since is no matter what you do, your goal should be to be the best. The way you become the best is through hard work and practice.
Charles understands that. Maybe because we semi brain washed him)
For instance, my dad saw a kid about Charles’ age playing baseball and thought the kid was pretty impressive. Charles was visiting at the time so my dad told Charles about the kid.
Dad: “Charles, I saw a kid playing baseball today. He looked pretty good.”
Charles: “I better start practicing more then.”
He gets it. And he doesn’t just say it, he actually started practicing more.
He is able to carry the idea over to all sports and other aspects of life. He understands the benefit of practice and the process it takes to improve. It is much easier to communicate why he should spend more time reading or working on math. He has reaped the benefits of hard work and realizes the results are worth the effort.
I guarantee that 99% of the people that are very successful didn’t just stumble into their success. They achieved their position in life because they outworked their peers.
Whatever your occupation may be, learn from Charles and dedicate yourself to practice.
Barrett Stover 