“Problem is, y’all got league dreams with a backyard work ethic. And your parents applaud it.”
This may be one of the most convicting quotes I’ve ever read. Convicting people hurts. But being made to feel guilty is worse. Conviction empowers people and guilt paralyzes.
How does this quote land on you?
It made me say ouch.
As early as 8 years old, I began dreaming of playing professional baseball as a Chicago Cubbie. I was drafted twice by the Cubs and eventually signed. I did not have the long lasting and significant career I dreamed of because my work ethic tank was not full.
There are six core values you must have in order to be a Major League player as well as a Major League Citizen.
- Excellence – meeting expectations
- Humility – not thinking of yourself less so that you can serve others more
- Integrity – doing the right thing even when you can do the wrong thing
- Loyalty – doing the right thing for the right reasons, even if they’re not popular
- Stewardship – protector of your values and people
- Teamwork – being your best within a group of people that are being their best for a specific purpose
When it comes to coaching, many people refer to me as a maven, and I humbly and unapologetically accept this because I have put in the work.
Let’s talk about participation, performance and parenting.
Participation does not require skill. To participate, you simply show up as you. In sports, participation is all about having fun.
Performance requires people to get things done repeatedly without thought while under stress.
According to verywell family, there are four types of parenting:
- Authoritarian
- Authoritative
- Permissive
- Uninvolved
My wife, Kelli, and I have two daughters, Mackenzi and Mackenna. Both are awesome tennis players. Mackenzi, 22, is a grad student at Georgia State University playing on the tennis team.
Mackenna, 16, and aspires to become a professional tennis player.
Both were introduced to tennis at an early age and began receiving professional coaching as early as age 5 and competing in matches as early as age 7.
I believe Kelli and I parent with an authoritative style. We realize we are privileged enough to have the emotional and mental bandwidth to choose this style due to our financial and social capital.
And that’s why it is important for parents to join the right sports based youth organization or Travel program because support must extend outside of the household in order for kids’ dreams to become a reality.
With that said, participation earns you trophies and performance pays bills.
For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today.
C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 22 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J. Stewart has a proven system of development and a track record of success that can work for you.
