Ever since I was three years old, I have been involved in some kind of sport or physical activity every single year of my life. I know a lot of people do not care about sports, and even despise them, but I am who I am today because of sports.
I am exactly where I am right now because of sports. As a kid, I had the opportunity to explore many different sports; the majority of which I gave up as I got older to focus on softball. Sports were essential for me because, no matter what I was dealing with in life, I knew I would always enjoy myself surrounded by my team and wonderful coaches, who never provided a dull moment.
Sports also boosted my mental strength. It's easy to get extremely frustrated when learning a new skill or trying to master new skills; in terms of softball, learning the basics was difficult when I first began, and then learning to catch pop flies and swing more powerfully became frustrating, and it was constantly mental barriers. However, my determination developed because I wanted to master the skills so badly. Repeated failure was frustrating, but I learned that the end result will come through constant work and effort, so to not beat myself up in the process of getting from point A to point B.
Now that I am 20 years old, and no longer officially enrolled in a sports team, I have taken the essentials of what I've learned, and have been able to apply them to my life now. Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I'll do an hour of cardio in the gym or do some strength conditioning, which pushes me to overcome some type of physical barrier that will, in turn, make me feel better because I have accomplished something.
I am also academically loaded right now; I have 18 credit hours this semester, I work 25 hours a week, and I write weekly for The Odyssey. I have mentally exhausted myself, but because of sports, I know that I will not be tired and frustrated forever. The more I work, and the harder I work, the closer I will be to my end goal. I know this is temporary, so I have the willpower to keep going. That's essential to my success in life.
Overall, I have found my passion in life through sports. Most people will spend all of their childhood and even part of adulthood trying to find what it is they love and what they're passionate about, but I found my passion at just three years old. I feel as though not many people realize how important sports are to me; but every time I speak about a sport, or a sports game, or just nutrition and physical fitness, that comes from the center of my heart, and it hurts when my words are not taken seriously or heard.
Sports are so much more than just a hobby. They are my lifestyle, my passion, and what has shaped my entire life. They are the basis of the career I am pursuing, and I will continue to stand by them until the day I die. There is nothing in this world that ever has or ever will make me as happy and have as much of an impact on my life as sports have.
