Recently, as I watched my son Nathan playing basketball game, I felt sorry for myself and for him. He was playing in the other team' s home gym filled with their supporters, and Nathan' s team was falling behind for three quarters of the game. As for me, I was dismissed from my job earlier in the day.
Watching the difficult situation that my son was experiencing, I remembered that during the drive home earlier in the day, I kept telling myself that " just like last time I experienced this, I' ll find work again in a short time—I' m confident in my experience and abilities and believe in myself. " But then, self-doubt hit me.
The basketball game entered the fourth quarter with Nathan' s team still falling behind. I saw the determination on his, as well as his teammates' faces as they fought back to not only tie with the other team, but then go ahead by three points. Then, the scores were tied again. With a tie game and seconds on the clock, Nathan found himself with the ball, and with skill and confidence, he moved forward to make the basket with a defender hanging all over him. The other player was called for a foul.
As Nathan stood at the foul line preparing for a shot that would put his team up by three points, I saw the focus and determination on his face; there was no room for self-doubt. He made it, helping his team win the game. Later he told me he didn' t know how he did it because he had lost all feelings in his right arm from being thrown to the floor earlier the game.
As my heart burst with pride, I realized something. I had taught my son—perseverance in the face of difficulties, and he had just taught me the same lesson. That brief moment of self-doubt and feeling sorry for myself was swept away by the actions of my son on the basketball court. He' ll play in the finals, but it doesn' t matter if he wins or loses. On that day, we both won.
