My wife and I talk to our kids about maximizing the gifts they’ve been given—both the god-given ones and the opportunities (such as they are) that their having won the birth lottery have given them. Getting kids to work hard enough to find out how good they can be at something, be it guitar, golf, tennis, singing, geometry, drawing, or making their beds isn’t a battle for the faint of heart. The general malaise of adolescence can be a very tough opponent, not to mention all the other competing interests that keep the young mind distracted. Looking for a way to enhance our message to them, I thought of The Sign.
The thing I like about it is that the format is flexible enough to accommodate and motivate almost any activity. My son had a “Study like a champion today” sign over his desk. During my employed days I would occasionally break out the “Bank like a champion today” sign to inspire impressionable junior colleagues. There was even a “Cook like a champion today” sign over the stove for a while. Ok it only lasted until my wife saw it and gave me the “you’re an idiot” look of pity that I’ve become so accustomed to, but still it was there!
I suppose there are some limitations to the form. I’m not sure “litigate like a champion today” works so well. Nor does “develop commercial real estate like a champion today” or “write ad copy like a champion today”. They just don’t sing, do they? I don’t think hookers would have much use for it either. Having a sign taped to the bordello ceiling saying “[Screw] like a champion today” may be a great conversation starter, but I doubt its motivational quality. (And yes, this represents the longest set up for a joke in blogging history.)
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- Sometimes it works
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- Sometimes it doesn’t
So take The Sign and make it your own. Inspire yourself and those around you to be the best at whatever it is you do, even you blog reading hookers. Do more than you thought possible. Why not you? Why not now?
Posted by Mark Wegener 
The Local Paper 