Last night my boy pitched a great game. He started off throwing three strikes, and getting the first batter out. The look of pride on his face we don’t get to see much on him. Which makes me realize we have some work cut out for us. He threw some great strikes. He also had a homerun with bases loaded hit off him. He bounced back and ended the inning. As he ran off the field I could see he was happy with his performance, but the moment I piped up with some words of affirmation his tone changed. On the car ride home I tried again. I asked him on a scale of 1-10 how he thought he did. He said 1. A ONE. Whether he said it to be bashful, or fishing for more words of affirmation I am not sure. Regardless he said it. 
Kids have the ability (which can lead to adulthood) to only focus on perfection. That is a mindset I was stuck on for years. The fact is, is that he is a better pitcher than he was when he was standing at the first practice DYING to give it a shot. He is a better pitcher than he was 3 games ago. He stands on the mound and says to himself “focus on the mitt, and nothing else”. What if we focused on progress, and nothing else? It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort, and what effort you bring to the table EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. That’s when the transformation begins. Success is the sum of effort and perseverance. In my eyes his progress is a 10. Perfection is not something I worry about nor do I need my kids to worry about. 
When I first started my journey as a coach..on field and off I focused on perfection. Instant perfection to be exact. I had to pull back the reigns and focus on my self talk over all of it. Applying too much preassure to be a certain way isnt always a good thing. As I was quickly reminded of how important self praise is, I silently vowed to NEVER speak words of judgment against myself NOR my kids. Specially I would never rate myself a 1. The little ears around me are soaking up ALL of the things I speak. My boys are on physical, and emotional journeys of growth themselves. I want to raise confident kids that one day will be come men that are confident enough to walk with their head held high and work their asses off to get what they want out of life. Their journey is just as important as the words I say about myself, and to myself. AND that my friends is why I am a health and wellness coach. It completely opened my eyes to the world around me. It taught me how to slow down and take care of my body and my being for my boys. It taught me how to strive for progress not perfection. Love the moments that I can learn from. Have fun along the way. MOST of all love yourself through words and actions.