Accidental Success - #3
When Winning is Expected
The rumbling, the humming, the anticipation is growing. The earth is moving, you can feel it under your feet. Youβre not exactly sure when itβs going to dropβ¦ but you know it will. It has to come. Itβs almost here...
Heart beating fast. Pupils dilated.
Holding your breath. Anxiety building.
Green flag.
The roar of the engines, the cheers of the crowd.
Itβs time for speed and the race is on.
All that youβve worked for has led up to this moment. Letβs GO!
I have the distinct honor and privilege to be the father of a young man whoβs only purpose in life is to go fast. This was no accident, nor is it an example of a father living vicariously through his son, which unfortunately Iβve seen before.
My heritage is love for all things auto. I spent time as an SCCA race car driver and enjoyed experiencing amazing circuits as an adult and enjoyed plenty of shenanigans in expensive cars.
I was the kid in high school with a modded out J-Spec / HIN / JDM import. Itβs in the blood. I got it from my daddy. He was into cars. I guess the apple doesnβt fall far from the treeβ¦
From the moment my son was born, he spent his time staring down from the 35th floor of our condo in Atlanta at all of the small cars and trucks passing through the highways and streets. We were even fortunate enough to be able to see the downtown trains, which amused him with their horns and βchoo chooβ sounds. He would be there for hours if we let him.
From asking for car toys, wanting to go to car shows, to Motul Petit Le Mans races at Road Atlanta and wrenching on race cars with dad, heβs been under the hood and driving in little cars since 2 years of age. It truly is his passion.
But. When he asked to go racing. We said βno.β
PUMPING THE BRAKES
Having dipped my toe into Club Sport Racing and spending heinous amounts of time and money into the game of racing, coupled with the knowledge of the inner workings of my sonβs brain, I knew that his ask was no simple track day. He wanted to race as a profession.
He wanted to race other kids. He wanted to be competitive. He wanted to fight for position, dive-in like Verstappen, speed through turns like Vettel, and win like Hamilton. He wanted to be on the track and live his life in the paddock and garage.
He wanted to race full time. Nothing else. He wanted to go pro.
He asked us every day to race for over 9 months.
Every. Single. Day.
Nine. Freaking. Months.
270+ days.
Over. And. Over.
What does a six year old know, anyway?
Maybe itβs not what he knows. But what he sees.
His eyes see what I cannot.
DISCIPLINE IS REQUIRED TO SUCCEED
My six year old had something internally that he leveraged and revealed at such a young age: daily discipline and a never-give-up-spirit.
Frankly, I never even considered it when he began asking. It began in a fun way, with responses from me like: βYouβre too young!β βYou donβt want to go that fast!β and βWhen youβre older, for sure!β
This slowly moved into annoyance of the repetition. Sometimes he would repeat the question multiple times throughout the day! My responses began to turn more sour: βHey, you asked that already.β βIt canβt come soon enough.β and βFor the fourth time today, no. You cannot go racing.β
Amazingly, he didnβt quit. He persisted. And I noticed.
I began to ask him questions about it. The βwhysβ and the βtell me moreβ and having him ask me questions about what I know about the world of racing. We began slowly, experiencing some faster electric karts and giving him a look under the hood of the racing world: going to kart races, talking to coaches and drivers, and getting coaching in a mini-Honda kart at the local track.
The year began to mold into discovery mode of youth racing. Daily conversations, questions, deeper dives, experiences, and inside-looks at the path of driving as a profession became the focus for the year. βProject Youth Racingβ had begun.
Iβll concede, there were many sleepless nights as I lay there in bed considering the implications of his desires. His age. His maturity. Can he even make these decisions? And even am I being a good parent?
Nine months. Daily.
He didnβt have to convince me. He proved to me that this is all the wanted to do. In the process, he proved to many around him that this was his all-consuming desire. It truly is a know-it-when-you-see-it.
Now the real question is, where will it take him?
GOING PRO AND LOVING IT
We dove in deep. Want to know what our family discussed with him?
Going full time means, full time.
No more daycare schoolinβ. Homeschool is now the game.
2 to 3 days per week at the track.
All other days on the simulator (after homeschool).
Study racing, read racing, watch racing.
Review personal racing tape with dad.
Receive on-track coaching and racing coaching.
Review data and tape with coaches and team.
Help prep karts. Help build karts. Help clean karts.
And more.
He gets to race with all of the responsibilities and I got to discover an absolute joy in my life.
I have the job of being my sonβs βconstructor.β Or, he who builds the racing kart. Itβs not that I couldnβt have another do it. I just know that Iβll be much more useful to my son if I know how to build and set it up. It is also one of my most cherished experiences with my son: To have him communicate with me about how he needs the kart changed or set up for the track conditions. These moments of working with my son are deep within my soul.
To create for my son is pure love for me. To have him driving at 60 MPH on a machine that I built for him is one of the purest forms of giving and utility. Gift giving is great! But giving someone the machine and tools to achieve amazing things and win (finish) :)β¦ Now that, is pure father-son-full-love.
The races are merely the icing on the cake. Itβs even better when the family is there.
YOU CAN EXPECT SUCCESS
Watching my son driving on the track is one of my greatest joys. He works so hard. He pushes. Sometimes, he pushes the limits and it scares me. In a few instances, heβs gotten hurt. My job? Encourage him. Lean into it. Donβt give up. Iβm there for all of the wins and the falls. Iβll always be his greatest fan. I was down since day one.
At the races, the family joins in the fun. I love how my wife will come out. Notice how good heβs getting. Busts out the cell phone for pictures and βda gramβ and exclaims greatness in his abilities! Tons of support and love. And rightfully so!
But, there I am.
With raised eyebrows.
What did you expect?
I see him practice.
Every. Single. Day.
On simulator and on track.
I see it all.
ACCIDENTAL SUCCESS?
Have you ever met an accidental rockstar, superstar athlete or top-of-game professional?
Nope. Neither have I.
I love watching the NBA draft. You know why? Itβs for the moments when the name is called, the crowd erupts, the mom is in tears and the dad is standing there with his arms crossed.
Heβs not surprised.
He was there. The whole time.
Just like me. There. The whole time.
Iβm not surprised at my sonβs success.
I was there.
The whole time.
There are no accidental athletes or rockstars. No. There was often a single discipline: Practice. Every day.
TO SUCCEED YOU MUST ACHIEVE SOME MASTERY
I ship content/products every day. Most days, itβs merely content. All of my content is communication. Itβs simple. My tradecraft is communication. Of ideas. Visions. Future realities. I love encouraging others, inspiring others, and reminding people that if I can achieve, then certainly they can too.
I believe that one of my best skills is communicating what Iβve learned in my experiences in life, and I too, must continue to practice. Every day.
I must practice every day. And I can improve my communication every day. I explore new ideas, formats, topics, styles, editing, themes, language, mediums and more. Many of which require me to learn new things! Lucky for me, I love new things!
Youβll always see improvements in whatever you practice.
Make sure youβre putting your time into the right things.
Whatβs your trade?
What should you be leveling up?
What should you be practicing, daily?
I promise you, if you practice every day, youβll achieve some mastery.
When you achieve mastery, thatβs when the craft, hobby, or project can become real joy. It sucks to suck at something. Itβs much more fun when youβre competent or really good.
When youβre competent and really goodβ¦
Now that! That, is a valuable asset.
All the best,
ps