Keys to Success

“Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.” – Lou Holtz, Hall of Fame Football Coach

I use quotes often when working with young athletes and this one, uttered by former University of Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, is one of my all-time favorites. Coach Holtz knew a thing or two about doing things worthwhile, overcoming adversity, and finding success. It’s what he used to build one of the most acclaimed football programs in the history of the NCAA: The belief that learning how to handle failure and adversity are the keys to ultimately becoming successful.

Yet, as I work with more and more players, parents and youth coaches, I find that failure is considered almost a dirty word; one that no one wants to use. And I’m no expert but after several years spent working as a K-12 school counselor, certified child development trainer and high school baseball coach, I’ve seen more kids grow and develop from facing adversity than I have from watching them continually win. Simply put, all humans must learn to handle failure at a young age so that we can rely on those experiences as we get older.

The fact is that none of us succeed at everything we do. Be it in athletics, in our professions, or in our everyday lives, we are constantly faced with challenges that we must adapt to and overcome. It’s the nature of being an adult. But where do we learn these life skills? Where does the single mother who recently lost her job learn to do whatever she has to in order to put food on the table? Where does the military father who’s being deployed overseas learn to say goodbye to his family for the next 12-15 months? These skills are not inherent; they can be learned and, like anything else, the best time to learn them is as a child when the stakes aren’t quite so high.

As someone who’s dedicated my life to helping children, I’ve learned to let them experience equal amounts of success and failure. I was taught to handle both early on by my father, who loved to throw challenges my way as a young boy. For example, he’d put me through a drill that was specifically designed to make me fail then say, “Winning and success are fun, sure. It makes everyone feel good. But it’s how you act when you aren’t successful that really matters.”

The message was, if we never fail as children, we will never develop the skills to become successful adults. And if the goal of youth sports is to develop a child’s skills for the future, then encourage your child to learn to handle whatever comes their way with class and integrity. As a parent, teaching them to handle failure and adversity might be the most important thing you ever do.

Landon Johnston is the Director of Premier Sports Center, a non-profit indoor sports facility in Post Falls. He also coaches baseball at Gonzaga Prep High School in Spokane. Join the discussion about youth sports by attending PSC’s 3rd Annual Open House and Free BBQ on Sunday, Sept. 28th from 6-8 p.m. Email landon@premiersportscenter.org for more information.

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