There have been several instances during my life when I have had an out of body experience. Where I have felt as if the life I was living was not my own and I was merely observing myself from a distance. One of those occasions was when I played in front of 8000 thousand fans during my freshman year of college. Another was when I handed my college diploma to my mother. However, out of the many memories I have had the privilege of creating over my 24 years on this planet, one of the very best was still in the process of being created.
I believe everything happens for a reason. Whether losing a close family member or stubbing your toe on the bedroom door, everything has a purpose behind it. It is our job as a human being to solve what our purpose is. Nothing in your life is a coincidence. Nothing happens by chance. The people you meet today have the potential to have a profound impact on your life tomorrow.
Every player experiences failure during there career and I am absolutely no exception to this. During the summer 2016 I attended a player showcase in Sweden. I had just played the worst 2 weeks of soccer of my life. I was still in large amounts of pain from having surgery on my knee 6 months prior and I was in the midst of a second college transfer and uncertain future. I felt like quitting. I felt like a failure. I just wanted to accept defeat. All I wanted to do was sleep through the agony and wake up in America.
During the last few days in Sweden we had the opportunity to visit Stockholm as a group and tour the city. Although my body wanted to stay behind, my mind told me to stay positive and make the most of the remaining time I had in Europe. I eventually rejected having a negative outlook and toured the city with a fellow teammate who I had hardly spoken to the entire trip. We had a surprisingly eventful day exploring the city (considering how depressed I was) and we left Europe together as new found friends. What I didn’t know was that this same player who I had road bikes on the streets of Stockholm with, who I never would have met if I stayed in my room, would eventually land me an opportunity to play in Germany 2 years later.
You never know how impactful a decision you make today can have on your life many years from now. Your struggle on the field is your strength. If you can resist becoming pessimistic, bitter or hopeless, in time, your struggles will give you everything you need in order to succeed. The wound is the place where the light enters you.
You are exactly right. This past Year was the worst year of my life and the only regret about it was the a folded to negativity. Around February I quit my edp league level club team, stopped playing odp, and did nothing I sunk into my depression. If only I had kept on grinding. Luckily enough there are nice people in this world who give you second chances and by may I was playing soccer again not at the same level, but still playing. This year is my freshman year and I hope to stay positive throughout
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