Here For It
I admitted this last season so most people who read Unqualified Opinions may know it already, but I send all of these out internally at Permanent Equity before they go public for both a sanity check and quality control. So it went that before Season 2 launched our Chief Excitement Officer James said upon receiving the first email that while I love what is happening here, why is the Dot at the top saying “Season 2!” and not “Here for it!”?
This deserves some explanation…
One thing we’ve noticed about all of us around our office is that we all have catchphrases. You’ve really impressed Taylor, for example, if something is “terrific” and you’ve entertained Nikki if you get the laugh and really entertained her if you get the snort. Me? Apparently I picked up “Here for it,” which is what I say when I’m excited to participate in something. And now Taylor rings a bell on his desk whenever he hears me speak those words.
It’s funny, really. “Here for it.” DING.
But is it a bad thing to be excited to participate in things?
Apparently I’m very excitable, though, because even my daughter made me a “Here for it” charm bracelet.
Where is this going? It’s a fair question.
The other day Brent called me a “good sports parent.” One thing about Brent and me is that we are of similar ages (though I’ll admit Brent is younger), but his kids are a standard deviation younger than my own. So I’ve got a daughter who soccers and a son that swims and they travel far and wide around the Midwest, which is crazy, but that’s how it is. Brent’s aspiration for his kids is that they are good enough to enjoy a sport, but not good enough to travel far and wide.
Then one of Brent’s daughters placed great in swimming at the city finals and showed some interest in doing more. Despite all that goes along with driving to Topeka when one makes regionals to sit through an 8 hour meet for 30 seconds of swimming, he seemed “Here for it.”
At the end of the day, Brent and I both know it’s extremely unlikely that our kids become professional athletes. What, then, is the point of driving all across Missouri and its environs to facilitate participation? Why be a “good sports parent”?
The fact is, I think we should all be “good sports parents” when it comes to something that shows promise. Edges are rare in this world, and if you have one – or even sense one – you should press it as far as you can because the rewards from being successful are a power law and you never know when an idea, a person, or a business will show accelerating aptitude or ability. So if you have a kid that’s good at anything or interested in anything, encourage and enable him or her!
But the thing about being a “good sports parent” is that while you’re keeping power laws in play, you’re also having shared experiences and making memories. If all I get out of driving my daughter to St. Louis for years to play soccer is the ongoing debate around whether The Clash is better than Taylor Swift because we heard so many songs on the radio, it will still be worth it.
That’s what “Here for it” means. It’s recognition that things can not go according to plan, but still be worth it. The reason that’s so is that because as long as it’s not game over, give it a shot and that shared memories and experiences matter. You learn, you get stronger, you have fun…as long as you’re here for it.
– By Tim Hanson