Lesson 1 Journey to a Better Me
Reading 2
The Ball is in Your Court
Imagine an ordinary boy, Kid A.
He comes home from school to find a table.
“Um, it’s a table,” says Kid A.
“Yes!” shouts his father, “But it’s a table tennis table!”
Before you know it, Kid A is facing his father across the net.
His father serves the ball, and Kid A swings and gets nothing but air.
He falls to the floor.
This embarrassing moment is an important fork in the road of Kid A’s life.
He has two choices:
1. Give up and go to his room,
or 2. Get up and try again.
Will he take the first choice to become Kid Average or will he take the second choice to become Kid Awesome?
Let’s see what happens if he takes the first choice.
Kid Average
“I’ve had enough. I’m going to my room,” Kid Average says.
His father asks, “Are you sure? You’ll get better.”
Kid Average responds, “No thanks. I’m not good at it.”
That’s the end of table tennis at his house.
A month passes and his mother says, “Get rid of that table covered in dust.”
The table is sold immediately at the next garage sale.
After that, Kid Average coasts through life as usual.
His report cards at school suggest that he could try harder but he doesn’t.
Kid Average sees challenges as obstacles that should be avoided.
One day he comes across a broadcast of the National Table Tennis Championships on TV.
It reminds Kid Average of that time he tried table tennis.
He can’t take his eyes off one of the players.
He looks strikingly familiar ....
Let’s rewind.
What if Kid A takes the second choice?
Kid Awesome
Kid Awesome brushes himself off and gets up.
“Let’s have another go.”
An hour passes, and he’s a little better, but he still can’t score a point.
But this only fuels the fire in Kid Awesome’s heart.
The next day, Kid Awesome asks his brother to practice with him, since their levels are similar.
After they play every day for a month, Kid Awesome asks his father, “Are you up for another game?”
His father replies, “You bet, buddy.”
This time, Kid Awesome loses 11– 3.
His father says excitedly, “Great game! You’re a totally different player now.”
Kid Awesome practices with his father until he is good enough to join the school table tennis team.
From there, he gets better and better until he finally wins the National Table Tennis Championships!
Kid Awesome’s amazing story didn’t happen by accident.
His success was a product of honest sweat and a commitment to excel.
Now, you have two choices in front of you.
Which kid are you going to be?
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