Turning Off The "I Quit" Button

Many years ago I was a Cross Country and track runner.  I liked the accomplishment of a good run, but I never really enjoyed getting ready to run.  The bus ride to a race was almost sickening because I knew that I was going to have to face the "I Quit" button inside my mind.  We all face this point in our life whether we are a runner or not.  I was just participating in a sport that made me encounter it on a daily basis.

Sometimes it wasn't even the "I Quit" button that got me, but it was the fact that I would sabotage my own effort in order to push it further into the race.  It is a scary moment to face this button.  As we learned to overcome it and push our bodies, we became better runners and found out our body was capable of more than we imagined.  We were told by our coach that high school runners outperformed other athletes in school because not only were we building physical stamina, but we were building emotional stamina to be able to persevere through difficult moments.  I don't know if that is true or has been studied, but I know that facing that button helped me learn to attack life and not fear failure as much.

We talked about the "I Quit" button this morning during our morning meeting.  I knew that they would be taking the pacer test which is a running test that tests your VO2 max or oxygen capacity.  It is a grueling feeling to push yourself to your limits.  We talked about facing your "I Quit" button.  I encouraged them to push through this moment by running one more time after their body was telling them they needed to stop.  We also talked about doing it safely so we weren't pushing ourselves past our limits where we would get sick.  

I was proud that everyone felt they made one more "lap" after they felt like stopping and yet no one pushed themselves to where they felt ill.  I want kids to realize that they have the potential that you and I see inside of them.  This world floods them with images that will encourage them to give up or quit.  I want to do everything I can during these 180 days of school to build within them a strength that doesn't allow them to give up on their potential and I take that message and build on it whether we are in physical education or in the middle of a difficult math lesson.

The greatest gift you can give a young intelligent mind is an unfailing belief in themselves and their abilities.  We can work together to build within them a drive that conquers any "I Quit" button that they face in their life.  It starts with building them up every morning and celebrating every success at the end of each day.  Thanks for being their compliment in the morning and their high five at the end of the day!