I always told myself that college wasn't in the cards for me. Academia was one of my biggest struggles growing up and the thought of taking another four years after high school just seemed like the worst idea. However, my parents encouraged me to go for one year and said if I still felt the same after that year, we could think of other options. To my surprise, I enjoyed the next four years, mostly because I had the privilege of being a collegiate athlete! Being a college athlete came with a long string of emotions. I would go from happy to angry to frustrated to confident and everything in between. But through all the good, bad and stressful times, I learned some incredible life lessons.
1. I learned hard work is no joke.
I grew up playing sports and thought that I understood what it meant to work hard. However, when it came down to it, the level of "hard work" I put in in high school wasn't going to cut it in college. Being a collegiate athlete taught me that I had to put in hard work on and off the field to reach the goals that were expected of me. I learned that hard work didn't stop once my feet left the field. It meant to continue to better my body and mind in preparation for getting back on the field. This is something that I have carried with me still to this day, years after being off the field.
2. Along with hard work, it taught me what it means to be dedicated and persevere.
There were so many days when we had 6 a.m. or 9 to 11 p.m. practice that I just wanted to say screw it and not go. Or I would get so stressed out between games, practice, homework, classes and trying to squeeze in a social life that I just figured it would be easier to drop it then keep going. I am so thankful I didn't give into that temptation. Learning dedication and perseverance of sticking it out and pushing through those difficult times when it seems worthless makes it all the more worth it in the end.
3. I learned it is just as important to support as it is to be supported.
There was many times when, if it weren't for my teammates, I would not have made it through some games or practices. If you have never felt supported, join a team. I truly believe without supporting each other, a team cannot be successful. Through support you gain motivation and through motivation comes hard work and dedication. Put all those together and you have all the ingredients for success. But it has to go both ways; I learned I couldn't expect them to support me if I didn't support them and we couldn't succeed as a team if we had no foundation. I also learned that support goes beyond the field. It was the best feeling when you knew you could always count on them to be there for you.
4. I learned the importance of setting goals and reaching them.
My first season, our coach gave us each little notebooks to write in. I thought this was silly because I was never one to sit and journal. She wanted us to write down goals for our self and goals we had as a team. To my surprise, it felt good to cross off goals as I achieved them. Seeing them written down was a constant reminder to keep pushing. This is something that we now do at work and it truly helps. When you physically set goals you become more motivated to achieve them.
5. Sacrifice isn't easy.
I had to truly learn what it meant to sacrifice for something you want. I had to miss out on many things because of games, practices, and study tables. I had to sacrifice certain foods to help stay healthy. I had to sacrifice other late night events to make sure I got enough sleep. It wasn't easy, it was almost angering sometimes to sacrifice certain things but in the end, it was all worth. Sacrifice taught me how to keep my priorities in order. It taught me that there will always me more parties to attend, more events and movies to go see but I only get four years to play the sport I love.
Most of my fondest memories from college is on the field or with my teammates. I will forever be thankful for the privilege of being able to play a sport in college. The lessons I learned on and off the field, I will carry with me always.
