Ebb and Flow
Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 7, 1999
DEBORAH CORRAO / L’Observateur / August 7, 1999
I believe it was Thomas Edison who coined the phrase that success is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. In other words, no matter how talentedor creative you are, you have to be willing to work hard to reach the top. Someof us learn that lesson early in life. Some later. Some never do.Two people in my life are learning right now, and both of them are making me really proud. My 28-year-old son is one of them (fortunately he never readsanything I write so I’m not running the risk of embarrassing him by using him as an example in this column). It has taken him about eight years to graduate fromcollege, but we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
He has always had the goal of a college education but has spent a lot of time not applying himself to his coursework or dropping classes when he thought the work was too tough. Within the last year he has applied himself to earning hisdegree with a new vigor, and for the last two semesters he has earned a spot on the president’s list (something he always affirmed that he was incapable of). Iam enjoying his pride in his newly-found academic success and his affirmation that he is able to accomplish whatever he puts his mind to doing.
On the other hand, my granddaughter Carley is learning about the rewards of hard work and perseverance a little earlier in life. If you read this column often,you know that Carley has been involved in competitive acrobatic gymnastics and, at 7, is doing quite well.
As she prepared for competition this spring, practice time was increased from two or three nights a week to five nights a week the last month before the nationals. There were times she balked at going to the gym, preferring insteadto be able to watch television or hang around with friends.
But she persevered.
A week or so before the national competitions Carley’s coach met with the girls and parents and cautioned the gymnasts not to go to the competition set on winning medals but rather in doing the best they could do.
Last week in Phoenix, Ariz.,Carley and her partner Nicole Barrilleaux, took homethe gold medal in their division at the national competitions. Needless to say,all of us were shedding a few tears when they finished their routine almost perfectly, earning a score of 9.333, the highest score of all the competitors ather skill level. Not only had she worked toward achieving her goal, but she hadalso gone the extra mile when it came down to the telling moment.
I asked her what she was thinking about as she walked onto the mat.
“I wasn’t nervous,” she said. “I just told myself to do the best I could do.”And she did.
Besides a medal she earned a two-week vacation from practice, which she is also enjoying as it nears the time when school will start again.
We don’t always start on a level playing field. Some people are certainly bornwith more God-given talent or material possessions. But we can all take whatwe have and do the best that we can with it. We may never achieve success inother people’s eyes, but we can take pride in fighting the good fight and being willing to put our best foot forward and work hard to achieve our goals. Nomatter the outcome, we will have satisfaction in the knowledge that we did our best.
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