Don't Reward The Small Things

This past Christmas I got the book "No Limits" by Michael Phelps(with Alan Abrahamson). Finally, after 7 months, I have picked it up an begun to read it. I have already found a small passage that I really enjoyed. Here is the excerpt:

"We got home from Federal Way on a school day. My mom, who was at work, had put a large banner saying, 'Congratulations,' on the lawn and had trimmed it in red, white, and blue. Bob, who had brought me back to house, took down the entire display. When she got home, Mom was furious. Bob was unmoved. It was a matter, Bob said, of tempering expectations. Best to keep everything in perspective. Bob asked my mom, 'What are you going to do when he wins nationals? He got third. If he wins, are you going to but him a car? If he sets a world record, what, a house? You can't get excited about every step. There are so many steps. We're on, like, step 200 of 3,000. How are we going to keep going?'"

I think I really enjoyed this excerpt because that is the way that I grew up. When I was in elementary school I saw that many of my friends got an allowance. They explained to me that their parents let them have an allowance so that they could learn to manage money at a young age. I thought this to be a great concept so I decided to take this idea to my dad. His response was a simple, flat out NO. He went on to explain that he didn't think I should get paid for doing something I should be doing in the first place(like my chores). This is the same reason me and my brothers never got any money for good grades on our report cards like some kids did. He told us we were suppose to make good grades and again, shouldn't be rewarded for something we are suppose to do. I think this concept is lost in the world today. As Michael Phelps mother did, people want to give rewards for every small step. By doing this it keeps kids from really being pushed to new levels. If they receive a reward for every little thing that they do then what will be there to make them strive for the next level of success. They already got a reward for something so why press on? On the other hand when you do not reward every step you push them to new limits. They know and understand that rewards are only given for doing something truly great or for reaching a serious goal. By doing this it shows people that you already knew they were good enough to accomplish the small things. Therefore you didn't reward them for something that they should be doing or should have been able to do. A good lesson that I think needs to be spread around more in the world of athletics today. It pushed people to the next level and lets them tap into their full potential as an athlete and as a person.

The Little Things

"If you take care of the little things, you never have one big thing to worry about." - Cal Ripken Jr.--from his book "Get in the Game."

When you do the little things right, everything else seems to take care of itself. Too often we as people worry and worry about all of the big things in life. We worry so much that we let every minute of every day be filled with worrying about what the next big obstacle is that we will be facing. Well, as the old saying goes, "Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere." Why don't we, instead of worrying about all the big things in life, simply take care of the little things and let the rest take care of itself. No one ever really worries about the little things, but often times people are so worried with the big things that they don't take the time to do the little things right. What we don't realize is that by doing the little things, and doing them right, we take worrying out of the big things.

In sports people are too often thinking about the big plays. the home runs, the diving catches, the buzzer beating shots, etc. Why don't we instead worry about hitting the ball solid, making the routine play, and making the lay-ups and free throws. If we can make those parts of our game clean and crisp then the big plays will come, but they are few and far between. The little plays happen much more often. Instead of the hole in one why don't we put more of our focus on the two foot putt. You don't see anyone get onto the guy that misses the half court shot at the end of the game, but the guy who misses the lay-up with the clock winding down won't ever hear the end of it. Learn to make the routine play and you will subconsciously be preparing yourself for the extra ordinary one.

"One day during practice, a visitor observed Coach (Paul "Bear") Bryant doing something that aroused his curiosity. From time to time during practice, the coach would reach into his pocket, pull out a crumbled little piece of paper, read it, and then put it back in his pocket. The visitor watched him do this several times during practice, and finally mustered up the courage to ask the coach what was written on the paper. Coach Bryant simply smiled, pulled out the paper, and let the visitor read it himself. It said: It's the itty bitty, teeny tiny things that get you beat."- An excerpt from the book "Real Dream Teams" by Bob Fisher and Bo Thomas.