My motivation is tomorrow, just one day at a time, right? - Rafael Nadal

I have always had a love-hate relationship with the sports that I have played all throughout the years. I have gotten to learn, practice and play over 10 different sports, and I can definitely say that every one of them has contributed to build my character and define a little bit better the person that I am today. All sports bring some lessons to the table, but one of the most important ones that I have learned is to have perseverance and respect, two very relevant values.

You were learning perseverance when you felt like your legs couldn't go the extra mile but you ran it anyway; when you knew you were facing a much better rival but still gave everything you had and tried to bring them down point by point.

Respect to those fellow players on and off the field, even though sometimes it was a challenge to try not to jump on their back, or when the other team wasn't showing a whole lot of sportsmanship but you kept being the polite player you knew you had to be.

These examples are just a couple of the many that I was presented with in the years that I played. It was during those years when I started to acknowledge that you could benefit from sports when I understood why they were such a big part in any academic curriculum.

Sports make you a better person, you learn how to work with a team, or to work with yourself, to abide by the rules, to reach out of your comfort zone, to extend your knowledge and abilities. They provide the best platform to learn the values that you will be able to apply in your adulthood and professional career, traits that will be well considered in a resume, job interview, or just by your friends and acquaintances. So if you ever doubt why should you practice a little longer, run a little faster, or shake the hand of that player that called you out, always remember rewards follow hard work.