My two daughters are always asking for help. I always help them when they genuinely need help – but before I do, I make them show me that they are trying to do it themselves. I usually ask them “are you trying as hard you can? are you giving 100%?” When they do try as hard as they can, usually they can get it themselves – if not, I’ll help.
This is also something that we can remember people asking us when we were kids. Somewhere along the way, though, people stop asking. Maybe they expect you to give 100%… but probably more likely, they expect you not to.
Lately, I’ve been asking myself that very question – am I trying as hard as I can? And most of them time the answer is – no, I’m not.
What if I did try as hard as I could, all the time? What could I accomplish at work? In the gym? At home as a father and husband? Of course you can’t run full-steam, 100% of the time – you’ll run out of steam. But at least for me, usually I can give a little bit more effort than what I am.
Just like anything else – your kids learn more through your actions than they do your words. So, I’m asking myself – “are you trying as hard as you can?"