Nobody wants to show you the hours and hours of becoming. They'd rather show the highlight of what they've become. - Angela Duckworth

The first is that everyone — including Mom and Dad — has to do a hard thing. A hard thing is something that requires daily deliberate practice. I've told my kids that psychological research is my hard thing, but I also practice yoga. Dad tries to get better and better at being a real estate developer; he does the same with running. My oldest daughter, Amanda, has chosen playing the piano as her hard thing. She did ballet for years, but later quit. So did Lucy.

Thing Rule: You can quit. But you can't quit until the season is over, the tuition payment is up, or some other "natural" stopping point has arrived. You must, at least for the interval to which you've committed yourself, finish whatever you begin. In

Well okay, that didn't go so well, but I guess I will just carry on.'