comparison is the thief of joy, by ED

You aren’t behind in a sport if you wake up and choose to play a sport that consumes your every thought from morning till night.

For me this applies to volleyball. The fear of being behind is normal.

It’s easy to look online and see players younger or older then you competing at a higher skill level then you and winning tournaments you wish to compete at or win and it’s easy to compare yourself. However if you never experienced fear, doubt, or even the pain of losing you will never experience how truly magical it is when your hard work pays off.

Nobody’s journeys are ever the same. No two people are identical and that’s the beauty of playing a sport. You get to make the path that is made for you. You get to go out and train to be the best player you can become. 

I’ve felt behind over and over again. I look online and see players younger then me making plays I strive to be able to achieve, clubs I dream of playing for, offers I hope to get, medals I wanted to win, but then I realized I’ve always been wishing for what others had yearning for more and more.

For two years when I first started my club season all I could think about was how badly I wanted to win a medal. I wanted so badly to prove my worth through a tiny object that I can show people to prove I am good enough, to not only to myself but to everyone around me.

I never stopped to realize I am living the dream I wished for when I just started playing.

I’ve grown so much in not just a skill aspect but also mentally. I’ve over come obstacles I thought were impossible. I stopped caring what other people thought about me and my skill. I’ve stopped being so hard on myself, because at the end of the day this is a sport I choose to play and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

There is no set path for me or anyone. The path is the one you make. You get to decide your destiny. 

After realizing all of this I competed in a TAPPS sand tournament and during pool play, me and my teammate were having a hard time. Nothing seemed to be working. We were losing and instead of getting upset, I realized it’s not over because we still have more opportunities because we get to compete in bracket play.

During bracket play, me and my teammate started to play great.  Together, we continued to win until we won the whole bracket and we were ecstatic. After the tournament ended, I found out that every team we had played earlier that day in pool play also went on to win the brackets they were placed in.

That made me realize something important, just because someone seems ahead of you, or that you are behind, doesn’t mean that’s how your journey will end. You can’t always see the bigger picture especially in sports.

This post was written for yooou! by 16 year old, ED.