This one goes out to all the athletes who are about to finish your college careers -- one that has come with challenges beyond measure, friendships beyond words, and an experience beyond explanation.

I will not bore you with testimonies of graduated players who will give us all the same speech: “make the most of it because you’ll miss it when it’s over,” or “those were the glory days, I wish I could go back,” because sooner or later that will be you, paralyzed by vivid memories and nostalgic flashbacks of the jersey you once wore, the number you once had and the stall you once sat in.

So if you are rounding the corner and en route to the next chapters of your life, I ask you not to flip the page just yet, instead press pause. I ask you to hold on as tight as you can to right now, and don’t race to cross the finish line; for I can assure you that this adventure will be merely a moment in time that you’ll wish lasted forever. Your future endeavors will remain but when that final buzzer sounds for the last time, that’s it.

They tell us the little things in life end up being the big things, and this concept seems to be manifesting itself into this final stretch. It’s the little voice in your head shouting louder than the crowd, "this is it.” It’s a scary thing to wrap your head around- the sport you grew up playing since before you could remember is coming to an end. Which means that the most important thing you can do to make this moment seemingly last forever, is to be extraordinarily mindful in all that you do. Let the voice be a reminder stay present, humble and grounded.

As athletes, we live for competition. We live for cross-town rivalries, coming out of the tunnel to a sold-out crowd, or sometimes a crowd composed of only your brother and parents smiling from across the way. We live for our teammates- the locker room dance-offs, long bus rides and goal celebrations. We live for morning practice, bruises and broken bones, getting worked so hard you almost throw up. And even though in these moments- both good and bad- we don’t realize it, but these little things are the one’s we’ll miss the most.

If you close your eyes and think about your favorite sports memories, you’ll probably have a reel of flashbacks and split second visions that race through your mind, so vivid that they leave your heart pounding and your cheeks sore. These memories take you back- they inspire you and remind you why you’ve given so much of your life to the crazy game you once fell in love with. And weather it’s a highlight reel of little things, big things or somewhere in between, we all have one.

So I ask you this, are you here, living in this very moment? Because what you are doing today will soon be nothing more than an ever-fleeting moment buried in your mind.

You have the opportunity to just play, to be free of worry, to be here now and stay in this chapter until you must move to the next. So be grateful for your family and friends who have supported you over the years, appreciate your coaches who have allowed this experience to unfold, and be thankful for your teammates who make this all worth it.

All that is certain in life is this moment -- so I ask you to make sure that when that buzzer of your career hits 00:00, you can look back with not a single regret. You can take off your jersey for the last time, watch as the crowd shuffles out and know that you traveled down this final stretch with your heart wide open and with an abundance of incredible memories to add to your highlight reel.