Daily Reflections

Yesterday, Amber competed in a gymnastics meet, and she felt extremely upset with her performance. (She still took 2nd place, but her scores were way lower than they had been.) I was disappointed in her reaction to her scores. Rather than staying calm and confident, she found herself crying, and upset. In my opinion, she needed to be taught about the importance of being a good loser verses a good winner. We had a discussion on the differences, and all seemed to be understood. However, when I went to bed, the day's events played over and over again in my mind. At around 5:30 in the morning, I woke up contemplating the situation, which formulated many conclusions for the situation. Realizing that it was inspiration--I began jotting down all that my mind registered.

Here is what I wrote:
It's not about beating everyone and how they are doing--it's about beating yourself. It's about competing against yourself. You beat up yourself when you compare and consider your success hinged on having a higher score than your teammates. When you focus on this, you tear yourself down, and you separate yourself from being a supportive teammate. Your focus should be on improving yourself. Beating your own personal performances. Working towards your personal best. You win when you are a good sport no matter the results of the scores. Stop thinking you have to be THE best, and start trying to do your best. Your dad and I are more concerned with how you act rather than the scores on the scoreboard. Being a good sport is more important than winning. We love you. We are proud of your hard work and determination. We believe in you!

These words just came flowing out of me, and I knew that Heavenly Father was blessing me on how to teach my daughter. I have been praying to know what to say to my kids and how to help them individually. I know this was a direct answer to those prayers. I know He is aware of us. I know that He loves us. I am grateful for moments like these where I can see God's hand in my life.

I am also grateful for Amber. Her good attitude; her desire to improve; and her humility. She took our teaching with grace and beauty. She held her head high, and chose to improve rather than choosing to be defensive. It is always hard to hear what we need to improve upon. Amber was an example of how to take constructive criticism.