A Diamond in the Making
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (121546)
Gainesville, Florida
December 11, 2015 9:43pm CST
My daughter has been studying for her mid-term final exams at school, and has been under a lot of stress this week (her exams are all next week). As a straight-A student in the prestigious Cambridge Program, she knows there is a lot of pressure on her to perform well. Although I'm not usually one for words, when she told me about how much pressure she was under, and idea popped into my head! I told her that no pressure = no diamond!
For those who may not be aware, diamonds are created from coal when forces deep inside the earth create extreme pressure on the coal over time. This pressure is what eventually changes the coal into diamonds!
So, I used the analogy of pressure creating diamonds to encourage her to press on. Using the pressure to guide and motivate her will make her stronger in the long run, just like a diamond.
What are some motivational techniques, or encouraging words, you have given to others to help support them through tough times?
8 people like this
6 responses
@VivaLaDani13 (60794)
• Perth, Australia
21 Mar 17
@moffittjc You clever cookie you! I can’t even remember anything encouraging that I’ve said. I know I try to do it the best I can but I can’t say I remember specifically right now on what I said. But I think it’s nice when people try their best to help someone out in anyway way they can. I’m assuming your daughter did well?
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Mar 17
She is doing well in school. I keep reminding her that she is over 75% of the way done with high school, so she is near the end. She is already getting lots of offers from universities around the country, which is a good sign.
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60794)
• Perth, Australia
22 Mar 17
@moffittjc That's awesome! How proud you must be!
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (160612)
• United States
12 Dec 15
Very well done. On Facebook one of my friends mentioned her daughter needing to lose weight. Mom told the daughter they were going to diet, the daughter said "why" and mom said she needed her help and could not lose her weight alone. I thought that was awesome. I never told my children that we could not afford things, but that we chose to spend our money differently. We chose to pay our bills first.
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Dec 15
That is very smart! In my case, with money I let my kids know straight up why we can or can't afford the things we want. Of course, they are old enough to understand. I'll show them my credit card bills, and how much I am paying in interest on my debt, and they'll be like, "Oh dad, we don't need this thing that bad!" lol
@JudyEv (339464)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Dec 15
That was such a good idea to come up with - and it's all true. They reckon what doesn't kill you makes you stronger although I sometimes think it is a little bit of over-simplification.
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Dec 15
My daughter knows the payoff for her efforts...If she graduates from her high school Cambridge program with all A's and B's, she is guaranteed acceptance into the University of Florida, where she wants to go to college. UF has 30,000 students apply for acceptance each year, and only about 5,000 are accepted, making it one of the hardest universities in the nation to get accepted into. While she is very self-driven, I'm there to keep encouraging her and reminding her of the ultimate reward!
1 person likes this
