Not a day goes by that I don’t miss sports. I miss feeling like a hero after making a tough play. I miss playing with my best friends, who just happened to also be my teammates. I miss my field, the home away from home. I miss traveling all over the country to do what I loved. I miss the feeling of waking up on game day, too excited to sit through class. I miss waking up at the crack of dawn so that I could watch the sunrise on my way to a game. I miss the feeling of falling in love with the game. I miss my number. I miss my position. I miss my uniform. I miss my sport.

Here are 8 life lessons I’ve learned because of sports:

1. Traveling and planning adult adventures.

After years and years of tournaments in California, Las Vegas, Utah, and Colorado, I now have the confidence to travel anywhere on my own. Planes aren’t as scary when you’ve spent your entire adolescence in diverse and distinct airports. Road-tripping alone is simply a luxury. I long for the days when staying in hotels meant exciting breakfasts and sleepovers with all of my best friends.

2. It’s nice to have a home away from home.

My field was my second home. On days when I needed to get away, the field was always there to take my mind off things. Now, my house at college has become my home. Every chance I get to go back to my hometown, it feels like I’m going to my home away from home.

3. All people are unique and different in their own way.

I’ve played with some unique people. People had different backgrounds and diverse histories. We all came from differing towns. Some people had more money than others. Some people had intense mental issues and family problems. The one thing that kept us all sane was our sport. We were all so dissimilar, yet we would come together to compete and play that one sport we all had in common. High school doesn’t teach you how to be friends with all types of people. As an adult, you don’t get to choose who you work with or who is in your class. It helps to know that everyone is unique in their own way.

4. Failure is inevitable.

Losing is inevitable. Making errors taught me that mistakes happen to everyone. No one person is responsible for a loss, even though it might seem like it sometimes. Failure is all around the adult world, whether it be failing a test or failing to keep a promise. Sports teach you how to stay positive in negative situations and remind you that failure is just a part of life.

5. Life isn’t fair.

I’ve had some horrendous umpires and referees in my day. Eventually, I learned that fighting their calls wasn’t going to help in the long run. As angry as I got at a wrong call, it only helped me to realize that life isn’t fair. Sometimes plays don’t go as planned, but one bad call can’t ruin the entire game. Sometimes life doesn’t go as planned, but one bad experience can’t ruin your entire life.

6. It is important to keep my cool under stressful situations.

There are ten seconds left in the game and you are down by 2 points. The score is 5-4 and the other team has a penalty kick. It’s the bottom of the 9th inning, bases loaded, two outs, full count, and you are at bat. Stressful situations are the foundation of sports. Now, I can be prepared when I need to score above the curve in order to pass a class for my major. I can be prepared when I receive upsetting news. Being under pressure is simply a way of life.

7. Confrontation is crucial.

I’ve had so many coaches in my life and each has had their own unique style. It took my years before I realized the importance of dealing with conflict. A poor relationship with a coach is never effective, just as a poor relationship with a friend is pointless.

8. Being passionate about a sport is the best type of infatuation.

Luckily, I had the opportunity to fall head over heals in love with my sport. Without sports, I would be one confused and dispassionate individual. I’ve learned so many life lessons, and I never even realized my change. I am so beyond thankful.