Success can be a Mess

Yesterday I spent most of the day cleaning out our garage. As I started the process it seemed like it was going to be a short project, but once I started moving things around- I eventually had a mess. Bikes, storage shelves, trash, hats, shoes, cabinets, pillows, scooters, and sports equipment were spread across the garage floor. It was a mess! As I began to place things back into order the garage began to gain space and cleanliness. This took time but was a success in the end. I was very happy with the end result. This analogy of cleaning the garage can be used to relate to many of the successes that we experience in our lives. The process of achieving success is not always nice and neat. As a matter of fact most of the time it is messy. If the students in your class are trying a new math concept, then they may not understand it on the first try. It may take multiple ways of teaching to learn the concept. In coaching basketball- if you are teaching your team how to run motion offense, then it is probably not going to be a smooth offense after one practice. It is going to take break down drills on how to read screens, how to set screens, practice shooting good shots, etc. My point is that you should expect a mess! Sometimes things have to get worse in order to get better. My mother in law has been battling lung cancer. Three weeks ago she had surgery to remove the tumor from her lung. The next day after surgery, the nurses had her sitting up in a chair and moving around. The next day she had some complications and they had to sedate her and put her on a breathing machine for a few days. This was not pretty. However, since then she has gotten stronger each day, and is now home still recovering. She is making baby steps each day. Learning to re-use her right hand, and working to get strong enough to go up and down the stairs are some of her goals. It has been messy, but she is battling for success! As hard as it is to be patient- we are trying to help her see the small successes each day! One thing that I heard a coach say once is "enjoy the process". Success is a process and we must find ways to enjoy it even when it is a mess. While cleaning the garage I listened to some music, in math class you can learn from your mistakes that a certain method did not work, and for my mother in law she has been able to spend some time with the grand-kids and watch alot of movies!