Ashton, this weekend your Mum is working extra hours to help pay for a family holiday, I did my usual early Saturday morning run, it was freezing cold and raining hard but it did not stop me. The point I am trying to make is don't decide to not do certain things because they are not easy.
There is little to be gained from doing what is easy, easy things are usually dull and boring, yet things that are difficult and challenging are usually satisfying, rewarding and a great sense of achievement is to be had. Long lye-ins followed by a few hours with your feet up watching tv is easy and nice for all of us on the odd occasion, but what satisfaction or reward comes from that?
Mum has worked full time all week at her normal job, but has been out all of Saturday and Sunday doing hard manual work, but the reward is a better family holiday for us all, I was up early and running in the rain but the reward is that I am getting thinner and fitter, when I run I try to beat my best time by saying in my mind - try, try, try, can, can, can which is something you taught me, believe it or not.
I see the same determination and will to win when I watch you do your football, golf, swimming and gymnastics as well as leaning to read at home. I hope me and Mum can develop and nurture this spirit as I want your life to be for-filling and successful, and it will be if you can keep the same desire to do better, be better, push yourself and to continually strive to carve out a better life and standard of living for yourself and more importantly for your family!
As I write this you are only five and it will not mean anything to you (even if you could read it), but hopefully you will find it when you look back one day and it will mean something, we had some quality time together this weekend as Mum had to work, we went to see 'The Croods' at the cinema and you are sitting next to me now, not long after getting back from swimming lessons.
You have a massive head start on most people as you are clever, funny, good looking and charismatic, if you can retain your will to win and develop the 'heart of a lion' you will SET THE WORLD ON FIRE!
It is not easy, but if you can do 'what ever it takes' instead of what is easy - there is a great life to be had!
