“Play hard, have fun”

Mrs. Finch informed me that she thought up this proverb four years ago in 2003 when her son was a freshman in high school.  He was on the basketball team and was too worried about making a mistake that he ended up making many of them.  She recalls telling him this midseason in order to let him know that there is no need to worry about little mistakes if he is playing his best and having fun at the same time.  She said, “after all, it is a game.”

She said she still uses this proverb when her son worries too much about little mistakes in life.  She says it helps calm her son’s nerves and get a firmer grip on reality.  She recalls writing it on little pieces of paper and putting it on his mirror in the morning to remind him about what is really important in life.  Sherri says it has helped her son not only in basketball or sports, but in life experiences in general.  She says that he is no longer worried about making a mistake, but rather is concerned with having a good time and doing his best in all that he does.

I believe this proverb brings up a very interesting concept.  It reminds us what is truly important in life.  All too often we as humans living in the twenty first century are too worried about whether or not people are watching when we make a mistake, rather than just giving all activities our best shot and having fun along the way.