A wise man once said, "Teamwork makes the dream work." As cliché as it may sound, in the past few months, I have learned firsthand that this is indeed true and important. After four years of being out of athletics, I got back into the game by joining College of Charleston's dance team in September. Little did I know how much this decision would have an impact on not only my body, but who I am as a person. The values and lessons that derive from being on a team are tremendous, and should not be overlooked.
First and foremost, one of the most prominent concepts that weighed heavy on me while being on a team was the significance of a unit comprised of numerous people focusing on working to reach a single goal. When it comes to success for a group of many as opposed to one, it is no longer about the individual, but rather how each individual feeds the fire that powers on and pushes towards accomplishment. Selfish ambition must be shed in order to be a true, productive team player and be replaced with raw ambition for those around you as well as yourself. There is also a difference between being a team player and playing on a team -- one makes you a valuable cog in an active machine while the other makes you just a random piece buried somewhere in the mechanics.
Another element I realized through being on a team was that every member of a team brings something to the table. You must train yourself to see and embrace people's talents and skills, rather than viewing what they lack and writing them off for such things. And there should never be competition between teammates -- no one should be labeled as being the "best" at one thing, but rather the team should look up to, admire and study that person's specific strong points and strive to match them, bringing everyone as a whole up to a higher level and essentially becoming all-around better. And teammates should help each other improve, work with one another to collaborate and become more advanced altogether, rather than placing individuals on pedestals, causing divides amongst the team.
Lastly, being on a team showed me how to improve my work ethic. I personally tend to stick to mottos along the lines of, "If it's meant to be, it will be," and, "If it doesn't make you happy, get rid of it." However, the problem with these types of attitudes is that it makes it very easy to simply give up at the sight of any type of trial. The positives that come from persevering through negatives are so much more impactful than those that arise from immediate gratification. Success is reached by fighting through things that won't necessarily always make you happy, but the lessons you learn and the discipline you achieve is worth much more than acceptance of a mediocre position. The sense of pride that arises from coming out of a situation that challenged you is one of the most indescribable feelings, but it cannot be experienced without putting in the work.
To conclude, I quote professional soccer player Mia Hamm, "I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion."
