Clif Mims is a Christian, husband, father, teacher, cancer warrior, and fan of the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Memphis Grizzlies.
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5 thoughts on “What If All Kids Had This Attitude?”
why is constant optimism such a desired character trait? sometimes it is better to know that yes, you DO suck at something. then you can move on to something else that is more worthy of your time. not that working to improve at something is a bad thing, but some self awareness of what your actual ability and talent is is helpful too.
the clip is just silly and something a kid might say without really believing it to be a life philosophy. altho, i don’t recall my brothers and their friends being so locked in by the rules when engaged in similiar activities…it seems odd that the kid would just stop at 3 all by himself in such an informal situation.
I think the message can still be optimism and hard work. The kid is there, by himself, practicing—he’s not expecting to just walk into a game and hit a home run. But at the same time, he is not getting disappointed at failure either but looking on the bright side of his weakness. I expect to still see him out there, pitching all day against the fence, practicing. So I think the hard work is still there, but at least he’s happy about himself as he goes about it.
I hate to be a spoil sport, but I don’t like the message in this video. (I know, “Boo!)
I think this plays into one of our biggest problems- instant gratification.
I would like it better if the kid was terrible, then you see him downloading video of how to improve his swing, then show him saving his money from mowing lawns to pay for time at a batting cage, then talking to his coach, then getting a hit in a little league game.
The message here isn’t optimism, it is “If you aren’t instantly good at something, give up.”
Am I being a scrooge here or is there some kernel of truth in that POV?
George,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts…and I now can see how one could interpret the message that way. I actually don’t think optimism is the primary theme of the clip either, but my interpretation is still a bit different than yours.
This video reminds me of the 1999 Kenny Rogers song.
http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/KennyRogers/The-Greatest–2146620
why is constant optimism such a desired character trait? sometimes it is better to know that yes, you DO suck at something. then you can move on to something else that is more worthy of your time. not that working to improve at something is a bad thing, but some self awareness of what your actual ability and talent is is helpful too.
the clip is just silly and something a kid might say without really believing it to be a life philosophy. altho, i don’t recall my brothers and their friends being so locked in by the rules when engaged in similiar activities…it seems odd that the kid would just stop at 3 all by himself in such an informal situation.
I think the message can still be optimism and hard work. The kid is there, by himself, practicing—he’s not expecting to just walk into a game and hit a home run. But at the same time, he is not getting disappointed at failure either but looking on the bright side of his weakness. I expect to still see him out there, pitching all day against the fence, practicing. So I think the hard work is still there, but at least he’s happy about himself as he goes about it.
I hate to be a spoil sport, but I don’t like the message in this video. (I know, “Boo!)
I think this plays into one of our biggest problems- instant gratification.
I would like it better if the kid was terrible, then you see him downloading video of how to improve his swing, then show him saving his money from mowing lawns to pay for time at a batting cage, then talking to his coach, then getting a hit in a little league game.
The message here isn’t optimism, it is “If you aren’t instantly good at something, give up.”
Am I being a scrooge here or is there some kernel of truth in that POV?
George,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts…and I now can see how one could interpret the message that way. I actually don’t think optimism is the primary theme of the clip either, but my interpretation is still a bit different than yours.