Three amazing teenagers. How did that happen?!? Parenting tips from the pleasantly surprised.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

One Secret of Success


This morning before taking my boys to the train for their first day of University for 2018, I learned a valuable lesson about success.

I said to the oldest, “Thanks for not telling me the torch was all the heat I needed to make it through the mountains!”

He laughed. “Well, I didn’t know that. I did a quest for the old man and got some warm clothes. That’s how I survived the cold.”

“Well,” I said, “Now I’m stuck. How do I get across the river?”

“There’s a bridge!” he laughed.

“Yes,” I said, “but there is a gap. I can’t get on the bridge.”

“Oh yeah,” he said. “You’ve got to use your magnet and put the metal door across the gap.”

“Ah…” I said, “of course.”

“Actually,” he continued, “there’s a boat a little further up the river, too.”

“What?” I said.

“Yeah, there’s often more than one way to solve the puzzles. That’s why Zelda is so easy.”

“I see,” I said. “Thanks for that, I feel much better now!”

We can all benefit from the lesson my son taught me. Success isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress. How your child accomplished a task may be different than how you did it, in your day. And that’s OK. In fact, it’s more than OK. It’s AWESOME!

Setting goals, overcoming roadblocks, achieving small victories are all part of being successful. Success isn’t about being perfect, it’s about moving one step further on your quest. It is achieved one step at a time. Success is about progress not perfection.