Lessons On The Ice
My now 13-year-old boys started skating before they were even potty trained. I was blessed to start ice skating for hockey around 5 years old; my twin boys started even earlier. I knew that I had wanted them to have the opportunity to enjoy the game I love, so I took them to the rink for the first time just past their third birthday.
They’d only been skating for two months when our club’s annual ice show came up. The club had a policy of putting the littlest, cutest kids in the ice show every year. My boys were selected. At that time, they were still pushing their little ice walkers around the rink! The theme of the show was some Disney story involving cats and mice and cheese. So, the club did the most practical thing they could think of—they turned the kids’ walkers into big old blocks of cheese and dressed them up like mice!
Thanks to hours of lessons, practice, and coaching, they skate much better now! Hockey is a big-time commitment in our house. It’s demanding on the kids and on my wife and me. My wife constantly worries that we are pushing them too hard. “Do they really need to do this?” she’ll say. My answer is always “Yes, because this is going to have terrific life value down the road.” I really don’t care if my boys end up being pro hockey players.
If they eventually leave the sport, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. But there’s so much I want them to learn from the game. I want them to learn what passion for an activity feels like. I want them to learn the lessons that come from sports participation: teamwork and camaraderie. I want them to be in a setting where they learn to manage their time and value education. Those are the benefits I’m hoping for—no matter how far my boys decide to pursue the sport.
I still remember one of the things their first skating instructor said to them as they were struggling to learn this new skill. “you weren’t born knowing how to walk,” she said. “you had to learn. And then you had to learn how to run. You weren’t born knowing how to skate either. It’s a progression.”
Business and taxes, like hockey, are also a progression. No matter how good I get at my trade, I’m always learning. I listen to podcasts and audio books. I read. I receive frequent training and coaching from gurus within the CPA industry. I’m always trying to find ways to do things better in my business. Always looking for the best ways to help my clients save taxes and succeed financially.
At the Neve Group, we strive to never get complacent with any client relationship. We’re always taking a fresh look because we’re in this for the long haul., not just to get you started! That’s why we always try to think, “What else? What else can we do to help you succeed?”