What My Daughter Taught Me About Winning

My daughter became a state champion in gymnastics.

I watched her stand at the top of the podium, medal around her neck, and I thought—wow. Not just proud dad wow, but holy crap, there's a lesson here for all of us kind of wow.

Because here's the truth:

She didn’t get there by being naturally gifted.

She got there by showing up. Over and over and over again.

Straight after school.

Bruised shins.

Ripped hands.

Do-it-again.

Fall down, get back up.

That’s not talent. That’s grit.

And it got me thinking—what if we showed up to our goals like that?

Not perfectly.

Not with some magic “motivation.”

But with consistency.

With coachability.

With a little more resilience and a little less complaining.

Kids have this incredible way of reminding us what real commitment looks like.

They don’t ask “Is this worth it?” every five minutes.

They don’t overthink.

They just do the reps.

So here’s my challenge to you:

Pick one goal in your life right now—something you care about.

Now ask yourself:

Am I showing up like a state champion would?

You don’t need to be perfect.

But you do need to show up.

Let’s go get it,

Dan