Pay the Price Now

My niece lives in Florida and just graduated from 8th grade. I’m obsessed with her potential in softball.

She started as a shy, uncoordinated player and has developed into a young woman with the talent to play at the next level.

But here’s the struggle. Not everyone around her shares her gifts or goals. So when she found out her family was going to Disney while she was at softball camp this summer, she got upset. She wanted to have fun at her favorite amusement park.

That’s normal. The desire for short-term pleasure is part of being human. But I reminded her of something I once learned from my friend Alan Stein Jr: “If you do things others won’t do, you will have things others won’t have.”

Others don’t want to sacrifice their summer vacation for a week of drills. Others want to ride the Tower of Terror instead of refining their changeup.

A college scholarship or a future in softball isn’t guaranteed. But the only shot she has is if she chooses discipline. And discipline is the willingness to sacrifice what you want now for what you want more later.

It’s not easy. It’s far more comfortable to take the easy road. But the hard road is where your dreams get paved. Her dream is hers, not yours. But your goals matter too. Whatever they are, choose discipline.

Your future self will thank you.

P.S. Shoutout to Anna Claire Ellis. You don’t have a bigger fan than me. Keep going and keep choosing discipline!

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