How Good Do You Want to Be? Soccer Lessons

"Its not how good you are it's how good you want to be" (Paul Arden).

   The first quote I ever used as a season quote for my team was: "Its not how good you are it's how good you want to be" (Paul Arden). This quote is all about effort and growth. At first, my girls did not understand it but by the end of the season they heard it loud and clear.

   Sometimes it is hard to push yourself. You may have been doing the same thing for so long you don't feel like doing it anymore; or, doing it to the best of your ability. You may be feeling sick and not up to doing your best. Or, you could just be exhausted and not feel like doing anything.

   During our 2 month season the girls faced a lot of these things. It is taxing on the body to play soccer 5-6 days a week for 2 months. The girls got tired and sick. I told them that they just needed to do their best on that day to improve. If they gave anything less than their best they were not only hurting themselves but their team.

   The girls knew to work hard to become better every day. I have had some girls on my teams stay after practice to ask me what they can do to improve. Or, they would take it upon themselves to practice by themselves after practice. These girls were following the quote.

   In life, we have choices every day. We can choose to work hard to get better every day or we can stay stagnant. If your goal in life is to become CEO of a company but you don't put the work in to become smarter in the jobs in that company then you probably won't become a CEO. If your goal in life is to be the best parent you can be but you don't spend time with your own child you won't be the best parent you can be.

   We must take steps to become the best we can be. That means working hard no matter what. That means growing in knowledge of what we want to be the best in. That means caring about those around us because if we get better we can make others better.

   This quote also embodies what God calls us to do. In Colossians 3:23-24 it says: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." We are called to do our best, not just to improve ourselves and others, because God calls us to do our best for him. If you are folding laundry you aren't just doing it for yourself or you family, you are folding laundry for God. If you are working on a big project you aren't just doing that for yourself or you co-workers, you are doing that project for God. God wants our best. If we don't give it we won't grow in him.

   So, are you choosing to stay stagnant because you are not giving your best? How good do you want to be? Are you giving your best to God?

   Image from here.