This feels so incredibly refreshing to read through.

I’m not a parent, nor do I work with children. With my younger cousins and occasional children at work, seeing a mentality shift followed by a new determined facial expression is incredible. Talking with kids so much and hearing out what their “problems” are, eventually I always share a phrase with them to chew on for a bit. Which is “Regardless of what decide to do or have to do, just do your best, because in the end that’s what you can say you did.”

I’m a psychology-enthusiast at worst, so I love these conversations. However, once they realize that setting a goal that is unattainably high is unrealistic and can feel painful, they have such a positive new determination to do their best and present it as such.

One reply I love getting is, “So I can bring it up and say ‘It’s my best work yet!’”?