I remember when I was 10 years old. I was watching an Olympic volleyball game on TV. I was so fascinated by the concept I asked my dad all the questions I could imagine. How do they do that? Why can't I do that? How did they get there? What path do I need to take to get there? I wanted to be one of them. So on that day I told myself I will do what it takes to get there.
As it turns out the path is never straight, it has gains and losses. It all comes down to the one quote:
"Life is not about how many times you fall down. It's about how many times you get back up" - Jamie Escalante.
I'm almost 20 now, I'm at university in another country playing the sport I love. To me there is no point in doing something if you dont love what you are doing. However, I cannot say I have loved everything that has happened in my life.
2 years ago I started this journey in America. My first university, I did not have a great experience. In fact after the first semester I wanted to quit volleyball all together. However, I knew that if I did this, I'm quitting on that 10 year old. I knew that this was only 1 experience out of how many I have already had and WILL experience. I saw that this may be bad now but it might just pay off. Even in the worst experiences there are always things you can learn, even learning who you do not want to be. So at the end of my 3rd semester I transferred schools. Yes, the location to me was important, I now had amazing friends at that university and was studying psychology just as I planned to. I loved it there. But to me what was truly important, above all else, was the improvement of my volleyball skills and that wasn't happening. So yeah I had a chance to stop and go home. I was extremely home sick but it's about what matters to you. Do the benefits outweight the losses?
Now after just 1 semester at my new school, I made more friends, I have an amazing coach and I'm studying psychology: Child and Adolescent Developemnt with a minor in sport management. I cannot lie, getting here was hard but the hard work doesnt stop because I got that Jersey... the hard work has just began, it's about keeping that Jersey. I've had days here too where I hate it but it's always about looking at the bigger picture and realising that everything I've been through, everything that I'm going through will help me in so many ways in the future. It's also about realising that your coaches aren't here to tear you down, they are hard on you because they care and want you to improve. I once got told, "the day a coach stops talking to you is the day they stop caring."
Hard work now means less work later. Giving up isn't an option to me so here I am sticking it out, finding ways to keep improving.
"In the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take" - Lewis Carroll
As it turns out the path is never straight, it has gains and losses. It all comes down to the one quote:
"Life is not about how many times you fall down. It's about how many times you get back up" - Jamie Escalante.
I'm almost 20 now, I'm at university in another country playing the sport I love. To me there is no point in doing something if you dont love what you are doing. However, I cannot say I have loved everything that has happened in my life.
2 years ago I started this journey in America. My first university, I did not have a great experience. In fact after the first semester I wanted to quit volleyball all together. However, I knew that if I did this, I'm quitting on that 10 year old. I knew that this was only 1 experience out of how many I have already had and WILL experience. I saw that this may be bad now but it might just pay off. Even in the worst experiences there are always things you can learn, even learning who you do not want to be. So at the end of my 3rd semester I transferred schools. Yes, the location to me was important, I now had amazing friends at that university and was studying psychology just as I planned to. I loved it there. But to me what was truly important, above all else, was the improvement of my volleyball skills and that wasn't happening. So yeah I had a chance to stop and go home. I was extremely home sick but it's about what matters to you. Do the benefits outweight the losses?
Now after just 1 semester at my new school, I made more friends, I have an amazing coach and I'm studying psychology: Child and Adolescent Developemnt with a minor in sport management. I cannot lie, getting here was hard but the hard work doesnt stop because I got that Jersey... the hard work has just began, it's about keeping that Jersey. I've had days here too where I hate it but it's always about looking at the bigger picture and realising that everything I've been through, everything that I'm going through will help me in so many ways in the future. It's also about realising that your coaches aren't here to tear you down, they are hard on you because they care and want you to improve. I once got told, "the day a coach stops talking to you is the day they stop caring."
Hard work now means less work later. Giving up isn't an option to me so here I am sticking it out, finding ways to keep improving.
"In the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take" - Lewis Carroll