A coach was once struggling to get through to one of his players. The player was extremely talented, had a natural understanding of the game, he was gifted. However, the player lacked motivation. Every practice the coach struggled to get the absolute best from the player who was clearly gifted, yet never made the most of it.

After weeks of trying to get through on his own, the Coach realized he had to take drastic measures. So one day after practice, Coach brought a parachute and put it on the player. “So what am I supposed to run with this on my back?” He asked with his voice soaked in skepticism. But the Coach kept his composure, accustomed to the player’s attitude. “Not yet,” He said. “but for now, we’re just going to walk.”

The coach and player began to walk with the parachute attached to the player’s back. The chute slowly drifted in the gentle wind. Though it was not strong enough to hold the player back, it was still noticeable. “Maybe you haven’t been hustling because I’m not a good enough teacher, but nothing will ever teach you more than experience.” The coach said as he began to walk ahead until he stood about 50 yards from the player. “Stay there, because we are not leaving until you run from there to where I am standing.” He shouted.

As the coach expected, the player paced himself, running nowhere near full speed. However the coach watched, eagerly awaiting the rude awakening to come. The parachute inflated in the wind, and the player was yanked back to a complete stop. He momentarily attempted to power through before giving in and letting the wind pull him back. Rather than try again, the player moved at barely above walking pace to keep the parachute uninflated. “We’re not leaving until you give me your best, and you and I both know that’s not your best.” The coach shouted. “It’s impossible.” The player pleaded. “How do you know? You haven’t even tried, just like you haven’t tried your hardest on the field.” The coach replied.

The player gathered himself, and finally charged in a full sprint towards the Coach. The parachute inflated to its full expansion. The wind began to gust, and the player’s speed began to slow, but he didn’t give up this time. He put his head down, grinded and pushed ahead against heavy resistance before finally reaching his Coach and collapsing to the ground. His lungs gasped for oxygen, his muscles engulfed in flames.

The Coach squatted down, his face painted in pleasure. “How was that?” He asked rhetorically. The player could only muster one word in between his gasps for air, “Tough.” He said. “That, is life.” The coach replied. A confused look overcame the player’s face, and the Coach began to explain. “Where your standing, is your goals in life. The wind and that parachute, is all the adversity you will face to get to where you want to be. The harder you try, and the more effort you put in, the harder it gets. If you try to just get by, you’ll get knocked down. And you could walk slowly to avoid the adversity, but so can anyone else, and that wouldn’t really be your best. The only way to get to where you want to be, and truly succeed, is to give everything you have deep inside you and try your absolute best.”

The player began to understand why the Coach had done this, and began to feel shame for his lack of effort in practices. “I understand that life gets hard, and it makes you want to just give up. But you have to fight that temptation, because if you give up you’ll go right back to where you started. You have to just keep going.” He said. “You’re right Coach.” The player replied. The Coach left the player with one last thought: “Just remember, every time life is hitting you hard, it means you’re getting closer to success.”