Sunday Motivation: Greatest Weakness

How many times have you thought to yourself to just give up? Oh boy! Me! So many times. The sad thing is many of those times I did just that. I gave up. I don’t want to think about what could have been…

On the flip side is all the times I didn’t give up. Read the quote for today and then keep reading as I share a story I don’t share too often.

As some of you may know, I played volleyball for many years. I started when I was in 9^th grade, a young freshman in high school. It all happened by chance. And I am sure glad it did. I also played club volleyball in high school. So basically that’s all I did, haha! Not really but sometimes that’s what it felt like. I played for about 9-10 months out of the year.

After high school I was lucky enough to play in college. I went to Dixie College in St. George, Utah. I played for just a year. At the time I was going to school there it was still a two year college.

The semester I played was a very hard one for me. This was the first time I felt like I didn’t fit in very well with my teammates. It was hard for me to be myself and to really enjoy playing and life in general.

Our coaches made some iffy calls and decisions, which didn’t help. They were not asked to come back the next year to coach. So that tells you about how well we did and how well they did.

In the spring of my freshman year of college the new coach held tryouts for anyone who wanted to play the following year. Even if we were already on the team that year we needed to try out. I felt like I needed to not end on a bad note and go try out. This was me not giving up, but trying one more time.

During the tryout I have never played so bad! I was embarrassed, to say the least. Needless to say I did not make the team for the next year. As I walked home from the gym and saw my roommates sitting outside on the grass I plopped down next to them and felt a huge relief.

I should have felt bitter that I wasn’t on the team any more. I maybe should have felt like a failure. But, I didn’t! I felt relief and peace. I doubt I would have felt that way if I had just given up and not even tried.

If I didn’t try one more time by going to that tryout I would have always wondered what if. What if I had played better and made the team? Well then I would have keep playing and continued to not enjoy life.

Maybe my success wasn’t what everyone thought it should be. The success to me was trying and being lead down a different path. A path that was better for me.

Now this story doesn’t end here, I’ll pick it up when I find the right quote. 🙂 I want you to know that trying is a strength. Trying is hard and may seem impossible. But I’m rooting for you! What are you waiting for? Maybe just give it one more try.

Xoxo, Steph