In today's society, everything is celebrated. Gone are the days where you have to be the best to win, or even really have to be good to make the team. With participation trophies being handed out to every athlete who steps on the field, and certificates being passed out like candy in classrooms, children are being left with nothing to strive for. Why try to achieve greatness when everyone tells you that you already are?
Here are five truths that our entitled society needs to hear.
1. Every injustice is not a personal offense against who you are.
Stop seeing excuses in everything. If you didn't get the part, or the position, or the A+, it is not because you are a minority, or the coach hates you, or you're girl. Sure, prejudice is out there. But, maybe you didn't get it because you weren't good enough. By allowing young people to see everything as a direct insult, we are not holding them accountable. Don't be the boy who cries "unfair!" when he fails a class, knowing full-well that he didn't study, or even show up.
2. We raise our kids to be protected from failure.
Although this is only second on this list, please take note of what I am about to say: failure is not a bad thing. You need failure in order to be successful. You need failure in order to be humble. Making mistakes and messing up is a part of being human, and sometimes it is the best part. Losing every so often won't scar you for life; it will teach you to appreciate the things that you work your butt off for. And here's what's scary: if you never fail when you're a child, you won't be prepared to fail as an adult, when it matters.
3. We treat every graduation as a huge accomplishment.
As the school year comes to a close, Facebook is flooded with kindergarten graduation photos, middle school graduation photos, and endless high school graduation celebrations. And sure, congratulations are necessary. Congratulations on making it through the easiest part of your life! Congratulations on living at home with free rent and free food, working part-time so that you have money to spend on unnecessary things, and thinking that college is the only thing you have to plan for. Yes, graduating elementary and secondary school is an accomplishment. But, it is also free and required by law. Don't celebrate just making it through. Celebrate when you have overcome, or gone above and beyond.
4. We give second chances. And thirds. And fourths. And fifths.
When did it become okay to settle? There is no reason to keep letting unhealthy things - and people - back into your life. By burning bridges, you are not being unforgiving. You are being strong. The friends you make in high school don't have to be the friends you have for the rest of your life. Everyone and everything serves a purpose. Don't hold on just because you think it is the right thing to do. It is equally as successful to let go.
5. It is okay to not be the best at something.
You know what happens when you win everything? You stop caring. And now, with every young player getting a trophy or medal regardless of the outcome, coaches and parents take away the feeling of accomplishment. It also teaches kids that they deserve a reward, no matter how they act. This is not an attitude we want to carry with us as we grow up. There are no gold stars in the real world. Teach the world to try harder, run farther, and pull through. Reward the accomplishments of those who don't just coast on easy success, but who see an opportunity and give it their all. It is okay to not be the best. But, it is not okay not to try.
