It's not easy finding the balance of pushing a child hard without going too far. This past week, I went to far with Riley. We got into a heated discussion about his takeaway and why he's always losing the right path and finally he says "You're so hard on me!" It got me thinking and ultimately, I sent him this email:
I know I am hard on you… if you ever wonder why, Earl Woods, Tiger’s dad, once said “I make him practice, I push him, because I know what he’s capable of. I see the greatness in him that he doesn’t yet see in himself.”
Similarly, Venus / Serena Williams’ father said “I pushed them hard because I saw champions in them before they even held a racket right. You don’t get to greatness by being soft – you get there by knowing someone believes in you enough to demand it.”
Here’s the thing and if you don’t believe me, ask mom. I believed in your potential to be great long before you could break par or started winning tournaments. I still remember the first time I took you to the driving range in Arcadia. I may suck at golf, but I understand sports and I know that most people will never be able to hit a golf ball well while a select few have the innate talent to potentially be great. I could see that talent from the first ball you hit. I told mom that day that I wanted to get you started on golf. I will also never forget your first tournament. The day before, we practiced for 3-4 hours in the blazing sun. Ryan was crying because he wanted to go home but you sat there and hit 3’ putts over and over. I knew then that you had the discipline and grit to be a great golfer.
I am so proud of you. Not really because of the results (that’s for you to enjoy) but because of your process. Your willingness to learn, to practice the right way, to grind endlessly, and the desire to be great. You have a talent that few kids are blessed with. So then as a father, how can I help? You know I am terrible at golf. I can’t help you swing better. But I can help you understand and realize your potential to achieve greatness and that means being hard on you because only through challenge can you truly maximize your outcome. It’s why I push you to practice smarter, like working on your takeaway religiously. It’s why I push you to challenge yourself, not by hitting the shots you like, but rather hitting the shots you hate and think you’ll never use. It’s why I push you to build mental strength, by teaching you to find answers and to pull yourself up, not down.
Look, when you achieve your golf goals someday, 99.9% of it will be because of you. But that 0.1% I can help you on? It’s not by being your friend or telling you how amazing you are. It’s by extracting every last ounce of talent you have so that you leave nothing on the table when you’re done. It’s instilling that discipline – remember what we have on the wall – to do what you don’t want to do when you don’t want to do it.
So, you will get annoyed and you’ll get frustrated. But I won’t stop pushing. But just remember what your goals are and what you are capable of. Greatness. Just like Tiger. Just like Serena. Just like Venus. That’s what I’ve seen in you since day 1.
Love Dad.