I don’t normally blog here about things of a personal nature, but I want to update you on a post I wrote this past December. In that post, entitled “What will it take to succeed in this economy?“, I told you about my 14-year old son’s new-found desire to become a competitive swimmer. (Despite the title, no, I’m not going to talk about the economy. I’m sick of hearing about that!)

Will at the Gabrielson Natotorium at UGA

In that first post, I described how my son, Will, had impressed me by attending early morning practices during Thanksgiving break. To summarize, I said that to succeed in swimming (or anything else), the participant must first choose to succeed, and then commit to doing whatever it takes. I compared the road that lay ahead of my son to the struggles faced by small business owners, and I tried to draw some parallels. A lot has happened since that time, so let me bring you up to date.

Will continued to work hard as a ninth grader on his high school swim team, and at the end of the season, he asked if he could join the Flint River Rapids, a local team that trains and competes year-round. We agreed, and so the twice daily practices and long drives to and from Albany State University began. Although his dedication wavered a bit at first, he bounced back as the school year ended, and he’s trained extremely hard through the summer.

A week ago, I got a call from Jeff DeMott, Will’s swimming coach. Four of the team’s older swimmers had qualified to swim as a relay team in the Georgia Seniors State Championships held at the University of Georgia in Athens. However, two of the boys had backed out, so the team would have to replace them or skip the meet.  Ordinarily, Will would not have been considered because the meet was for swimmers 15 years of age or older. (In fact, some of the swimmers at this meet are college students representing NCAA universities during the school year.) But the coach had seen Will’s potential, and he offered him the chance to attend. Opportunities like this are very rare for someone Will’s age.  It was his coach’s intention to motivate him by letting him compete among some of the fastest swimmers in the nation.

I’m writing this from my hotel room, following the first day of the big three-day meet. We knew going in that the relay team didn’t stand a chance at winning. In fact, a national record was broken today in the women’s 800-meter freestyle relay (just before our men’s team swam their last event of the day.) Instead, this is one of those times when it really is enough just to be there and do one’s best.

In case you’re wondering, Will swam faster today than ever before. This experience is giving him a new perspective on swimming and his future. He’s enjoying himself immensely, and he deserves it! I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow.

It’s 6:15 am on a freezing cold morning during the Thanksgiving break. As I write this, I’m sitting in the Aquatic Center at a local university watching through a glass wall as my 14-year old son swims the freestyle on the other side. He decided a couple of months ago that he would pass on cross country and basketball, two sports he’d toyed with in the past.  Instead, he wanted to focus on swimming, an activity he’s enjoyed for at least a dozen years. So here we are at this ridiculous hour, when all his friends are still in bed. I’m enjoying seeing him want something so badly that he’s willing do whatever it takes to succeed.

not my son, just clipart

Except for the occasional sound of the coach’s whistle, it’s quiet where I’m sitting.  I started thinking about everything it’ll take for my son to be successful… early practices, weight training, listening to coaches, and then putting it all together when it counts.

Lately, I’ve heard some business owners wondering out loud what it would take for them to be successful in this economy. We’ve just elected a new President, and no one knows for sure how his policies will affect business owners. If you believe the news, we’re spiraling into a terrible recession. The government is bailing out (or buying up) the big banks left and right. But my clients, the small- and medium- size business owners that drive this nation, haven’t seen a penny. And, for the most part, my clients like it that way. The just want to be left alone to… to do what?  To keep getting up early, working hard, and laying it all on the line every day.

I told my son a few months ago that swimming for his high school team would be the hardest thing he’s ever done, and there would be days when he’d hate it.  I knew that from personal experience. To succeed will require that he keeps going, even when the deck seems to be stacked against him. It’s really just a matter of DECIDING that he WILL succeed. And once he has that determination, all that remains is getting there.

For the business owners out there, the answer is the same. But they already knew that, long before they ever spoke to me. You see, my clients are some of the hardest working men and women I’ve ever met. Long ago, they envisioned success, and I’m just one very small part of their formula. If I failed to deliver, they’d go elsewhere until they got what they needed. They have a determination to succeed, and everything else is just part of the process. My clients are like that, and so are most business owners across this nation. I consider myself privileged to know them.

For those of you doubting our country’s future, don’t. We’ll make it through this, but it won’t be because of the strength of our government.  It’ll be the determination of our people, namely our business owners, that keeps our economy moving forward.

UPDATE: Read my follow-up to this post and see how the story turned out.

I’m happy to provide this information free of charge.  If you found it helpful, please subscribe to my RSS feed so you’ll be notified of future posts.  You can also follow me on Twitter, where I regularly post short tips.  I promise to never spam you or pressure you.  Please forward this to your friends in business, and feel free to rate my post or leave a comment so I’ll know how to improve. Thanks!