No Pain, No Gain

“There are no gains, without pains,

then help hands, for I have no lands,

or if i have, they are smartly taxed.”

- Benjamin Franklin

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” said Max. “I just can’t seem to do anything right nowadays.” Eight-year-old Max was sitting on the steps of his family’s tiny little brick cottage house as he vented to his friend Liam. He had been struggling with grades in school and it had been a long time since he had gotten any sort of encouragement or praise. Growing up with a single mother, Max was often left feeling hopeless and discouraged without having a father around to support him. “It’s not even just my grades! I feel worthless. Everyone on my baseball team can throw 60 mph, and then there’s me, who can barely even throw a ball at 50 mph.”

After silently sitting on his basketball for quite some time, Liam finally spoke up. “Max, don’t you see how many other talents you have? Don’t you realize that these things are not all that matter in life? I mean, you are by far the most considerate person I know. Just yesterday after baseball, I saw you helping Coach B put away all the balls. When everyone had gone back to the locker rooms, you stayed at the fields and gave some of your time to help him out. And you didn’t even do it for recognition.”

When Liam had finished speaking, Max slowly lifted his head and looked Liam right in the eye. “But thats not even a talent,” said Max. “The thing is, I never succeed in anything I try.” Liam looked at Max with a worried expression as he glanced up from the basketball under his feet.

“Man, you just have to do your best and know that your best is good enough. If you want to improve, just work as hard as you can and strive to become better. Until then, I just hope that you realize your true worth. Don’t base it off of your grades or baseball skills. Open your eyes. You may see some things about yourself that went unnoticed before.”

A few months had passed, and Max had taken to heart all the things that Liam had said to him. He had heard from one of his classmates that there was a baseball clinic that was being hosted at his school and decided to give it a try and sign up. However, he was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. As the clinic drew near, Max started doing drills that prepared him for the clinic, making him a stronger, faster, and more agile player. He found little ways to sneak in his workouts into his tight schedule as he now also had tutoring after school. As each day passed, Max found himself not only feeling better than ever, but also feeling healthy and refreshed. He finally felt like he had been able to take control of his life and even as he faced balancing academics and baseball.

The day of the clinic came, and the next thing Max knew, he was at home plate hitting doubles and triples like they were a piece of cake. Coach B stood up and walked over to Max. “Wow son, seeing you play today was like seeing a totally new player step up today and show off all his skills. You’ve certainly been working hard! I think it’s time for you to join a tournament team.”

“Do you mean that?” asked Max excitedly. Coach B looked down at Max with a warm proud smile. “I sure do. It isn’t every day that you find a player like you that not only has the skills and the brains for baseball, but also has the character and heart of a true player.”

It had been a few months since the clinic, and Max had joined the tournament team that Coach B had recommended to him. He was constantly hitting triples all the time and his RBI count was higher than ever. All the boys on his team would praise him almost every game for bringing in the winning point.  They were not only his team, but his second family. He had finally felt like he was a part of something. Never before had he felt so accomplished after playing baseball.

As he walked home from tournament practice, Max thought back to the time when he had struggled with everything he seemed to do. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he looked back at his old self. Not once did he look back and regret the hundreds of crunches that he did everyday, the tedious pull-ups, the tiring push-ups, or the strenuous baseball drills that he pushed himself to finish. Max found value in his hard work and was proud of his motivation throughout his training.

Liam came running up to Max as he dribbled his basketball. “Hey Max, I heard that you are doing well on your new tournament team! What’d I tell ya Max? Hard work pays off. After all, no pain, no gain!”

And with that, Max couldn’t help but let a big warm smile inch its way across his face.