A friend of mine who has experience as a sports psychologist once made an interesting comment about athletes. He said that if his daughter had to marry an athlete, he would prefer that she select the determined guy sitting at the end of the bench over the star. Despite a lack of playing time,the "relentless benchwarmer" keeps working hard. My friend contends that perseverance demonstrated under these circumstances is a more accurate predictor of one's ability to handle adversity in adulthood.
His message seems to imply that life lessons serve more of a purpose than accolades in the long view. As a young parent, it was difficult at times to have that perspective. It was so easy for me to get caught up in the moment. Now that my boys are older the truly lasting benefits derived from competing all those years are crystal clear. Struggling in an effort to excel is a gift that keeps on giving......whether you achieve all of your goals or not!
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