Michael Jordan was asked this question by a parent at one of his camps, "What advice would you give to my kid?"
He said, “Let them just enjoy the game. What they have to learn more about, at the young ages, is their love for the game. And once they develop that, the mental part is easy. I didn’t really get instruction until I was a junior in high school. At first, I just loved the game and I let my skills develop. So I believe in learning late. Playing early, but learning late.”
A small minority of children will find this love of their sport early.
The majority end up finding their love and passion in something else.
Instead of offering opportunities to be good and competitive at something they don’t care too much about, it’s more important to give them every chance to find that thing they can fall in love with.
Love grows the seeds of passion, discipline, and competitiveness.
This love is also the fuel that helps overcome all the obstacles that will come their way.
Without love, any success is short-lived. Without passion, victories aren't as fulfilling, losses don't hurt as much, and indifference leads to average.
And as the saying goes,
"It's not opposition but indifference which separates man."
