As an athlete, it is never easy to deal with an injury. Sometimes you’re out for a couple days, other times you may be out for a couple of weeks. Some athletes miss a whole season, and some athletes may have their college career ended by a serious injury.

For those whose career ends, it hurts more emotionally than it does physically. You’ve spent the better part of your life training and competing in the sport you love. Then one day something goes wrong, and you’re told you won’t be competing anymore. Your whole lifestyle has shifted, and you feel like a major chunk of who you are a person is gone. How will you function without being able to play your beloved sport? Yes, you are injured and will no longer be able to compete, but that should not define you. Here’s why:

1.You Gave It All

As an athlete, you know what it means to give it all. You have put in countless hours training and competing. There is no way to measure the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that have accumulated over the years. From every rep, every sprint, every tackle, every serve, every block, every max, you gave no less than your best. You gave up hours each day to get better. You sacrificed sleeping in for that morning run, you sacrificed hanging out after school for going to practice, and you sacrificed relaxing weekends for competing in tournaments. You invested your life into something greater than yourself,

2.You Will Learn From It

It is never easy to understand right when it happens, or even in the few weeks to follow, but over time you will learn and grow from your injury. Injuries have one of two effects on athletes: either they make you or they break you. Injuries will either make you dig deep inside you to find who you are, or they will break who you are. One of these effects is not necessarily better than the other. Even if your injury breaks you, it helps you find who you are. When you’re broken, that’s the best time to build yourself back up. Create a new you. Keep moving forward.

3.You Can Still Be Involved

While you may no longer be able to personally compete in your sport, there are other means of taking part in the sport. Many athletes have claimed that a love for coaching their sport was a close second to being able to actually play the sport. Coaching gives you the ability to ignite a passion in younger athletes, to let them feel the way you did. You can help influence the next generation of athletes. There are countless other jobs that allow you to stay involved in your sport such as team manager, sports announcer, statistician, sports newscaster, recruiter and more. Just because you’re not playing, doesn’t mean you can’t be in the sports community.

4.You Have Other Talents

Believe it or not, you have other talents. While you may have spent much of your life wrapped up in one of your talents, odds are you have a few more just waiting to be discovered. Sure, it may not be easy to figure out what they are at first, but that’s why you explore. Explore your new found life. Explore your likes and dislikes. Find the things in life that makes you tick and delve into them with all you have. Experience the beauty that is a well-rounded life.

5.You Get To Share Your Story

Do not hide your story. What happened to you could’ve happened to anyone, but it happened to you for a reason. Be open about what happened to you and find out what that reason may be.