I have been an athlete all of my life. Ever since I could remember, I was running, throwing, kicking, jumping and tearing up the fields in my hometown. I would eat, sleep and dream sports. What can I say, it is in my blood. But, I have come to realize that sports is more than just working out it is a tool that will help shape you into a better person and will push you to accomplish your highest goals in life.

Playing sports normally requires you to be on some sort of team. Teamwork is not, only a great thing while in a game, but it is also essential in life. Sports have taught me that it is not all about me; in reality life isn't all about me. The truth of it is that you can not do life alone. You need encouragement, motivation and accountability from other people, much like on a sports team. On a team, your teammates are there to push you to your full potential, encourage and cheer for you when you are at your best and keep you accountable to the mistakes you have made and help you to strengthen your weaknesses.

I remember when I was on my soccer team and we had lost our first game of the season; our coach was so disappointed in us that we did not even touch a ball the whole next practice. I remember having to sprint the entire soccer field about ten times in a row and our coach said that if we stopped we would not see the field the whole rest of the season. It was harsh, but we all did it. I could not have made it if I did not have my team mates right there with me cheering me on and pushing me through those sprints. We all need a team to do the same for us in life because we can not do it alone.

Another important aspect of sports that I have embedded into my life is practice. Without practice, you will never get better. For instance, I started playing ultimate Frisbee four years ago and I couldn't throw or catch a Frisbee. None of the guys would throw me the Frisbee during the games because I was not good at the sport. However, I didn't just give up, I took it upon myself to throw a Frisbee every spare moment I had and I eventually got good, but it took time and effort on my part, it did not just happen, I had to work at it. Much like life, you have to work hard in order to get to the places you want to be. I know that I wouldn't be at the point in my life with a career that I am passionate about if I didn't take education seriously. There were times when I wanted to give up on my education because I wasn't good at it, but I worked through it, got the help I needed from my teachers and eventually graduated.

Sports has helped me to never give up, even when it seems like I have failed and to rely on people, your team mates to help push you through life. Sports has been the vehicle to helping me have a more successful and positive life; It has helped shaped me into the well-rounded, hard-working, over-achiever I am today and will be the fuel that will accelerate me through whatever my future holds.