Being your own champion is defined in many ways.
As a female athlete, I define it as not allowing others to make your choices for you, while working to achieve what YOU want. Specifically, not allowing others to tear you down. Too many girls are told they aren’t good enough, or that they should just stop playing “because they are a girl.” Having heard both of those things before and letting them affect me, I can say that when a girl hears them it is devastating.
70% of girls when they hit puberty deal with a social problem, known as a confidence crisis. This is the time when their self-esteem drops drastically. The loss of self-esteem happens because people tell them things, such as “they aren’t good enough.”
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Being told this is upsetting, but what will make you stand out is whether you let it affect you or not. If you let the things people say affect you negatively, they will tear you down…I know from experience.
Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash
When I was in 10th grade, I let people tell me I had plateaued. What I heard them saying affected me to just stay the same, and become average. However, by the end of the year I was using their words to push myself to become better. That is my advice for girls on how to be their own champion. You have to use the negativity as a motivating tool. DO NOT LET IT DRAG YOU DOWN! It absolutely will. You can be as great as you want to be.
If you want to be in the Olympics someday, you can!
If you want to play at a college, you can!
If you want to make the top team, you can!
But it depends on the effort you are willing to give for your sport.
You have to work hard to be your own champion.
Some of the best advice I was ever given came from the coaches who I had the opportunity to learn from at National Soccer Camp in 2013; Coach Nahas said, “It’s all about the sacrifice you are willing to give, how confident you are, and how sure you are with your choices.” Taking what he said has made me a better person. Specifically, in sports, I have been able to apply this by training more and putting more work in to strive to be the best. Without this working-hard attitude I wouldn’t be able to achieve things I am able to achieve today.
Remember you are playing your sport because you love it, so don’t let someone take that passion away from you or how hard you work to achieve goals.
So, my challenge for you is to always push yourself when someone tells you that you can’t do something. Go prove that person wrong no matter who it is.
You can achieve anything you want when you put your mind to it, because YOU ARE YOUR OWN CHAMPION!