Growing up, I was always the shy and anxious kid who had a hard time making friends. I was never really "hated" by anyone, but I rather had acquaintances over friendships. Throughout my lifetime, I have had maybe a solid 10 true friendships, so I have grown accustomed to spending time alone outside of the biggest aspect of my life; sports.

As a kid, I never realized how much sports would shape me into who I am today; empowered, humble, hardworking, and, most of all, competitive. Growing up as an athlete, I tried so many different sports that I was constantly in a competitive nature, since the age of 3. This is the sole reason why I am who I am today.

With that being said, I am not trying to be better than anybody else. I recognize that everyone excels in their own areas of life, and I find that amazing. I would never try to change that, and I recognize my weaknesses are other people's strengths. However, being an independent person, I have always been very observant. One of my favorite things has always been to examine somebody doing something very well, and try to pick up on that.

I would analyze what exactly they are doing, and use that to teach myself. It wasn't a competition to be better than the person doing it, it was a competition to be better than myself. I was always looking for ways to improve myself, and I find myself still doing this, as a 20 year old college student who is often struggling. I am always trying to be the best version of myself, and improve on what I think I can't improve on. I am constantly trying to live my best life, because I'm always pushing my limits and telling myself I can be better.

If it wasn't for growing up in such a competitive nature, I wouldn't have these qualities that have carried me through life, and will continue to carry me through life. Though I may hardly ever be satisfied with myself, I am always looking back and reflecting on how far I have brought myself, and it never fails to astound me.

As a kid, I was seen as shy. Quiet. Intelligent, but not vocal enough. I had potential, but I needed to show it. I was stubborn. I would never give up. All of these little details that were pointed out over my lifetime, that were seemingly faults of mine, all fueled me to prove everybody wrong.

All this time, I had a fire burning inside of me, and it's continuously fueled. Now, it's almost time for that to show.

All along, I knew what I was doing. I may have seemingly stayed in my comfort zone, but my boundaries pushed may just be a comfort zone to "ordinary" people. I, however, have tuned in closely to my surroundings, gained the insight of successful people around me, and took that into my own life.

I am continuously in competition to get to a better version of myself, and that version of me is constantly rising. I am set to go after my dreams at full force, and those who never saw the potential in me will be completely blindsided.