Ryan 11: When failure became my motivation

I have played soccer since I was little and enjoyed it. A few years ago, I decided I wanted to play soccer at a higher level. I wanted to compete with kids at my level of skill and higher to improve my own game. I tried out for a soccer club team near where I lived, a lot of people I knew at the time were on it and I looked up to the team. I attended two days of tryouts and evaluations to see if I was good enough. Later that week, I got mail that said I did not make the cut. Immediately after, I doubted myself and I was hurt. I failed.

I experienced true failure, I went into something hoping and seeking success and fell short. Yes, I put my head down at first, but eventually realized that I was not going to let this loss make me give up. I was determined to play at a higher level to better myself. I had to overcome the self doubt to be satisfied. So I practiced and practiced, with the school team and more importantly on my own. I would always have the ball at my feet. I wanted to try again and possibly make the team this time. I learned that I shouldn’t just re-try I should shoot higher. After the confidence in my skill returned from practicing and training. I decided to try out for a different team yet this one was much higher ranked and one of the most well known soccer organizations in the area, lehigh valley united. So I tried out and I was very nervous, but played well since I had confidence from all the hard work I put in. I ended up making the team which was great. We then went on and  played the team I got cut from in a match. Then we beat them and on top of that I scored a goal which is a feeling I won’t forget.

In conclusion, I faced failure and overcame it. If I would have given up I wouldn’t have ever received that satisfaction of coming back. Now I have learned to see failure as success because it gives me a drive and want to be successful, which I didn’t have before. Failure is extremely hard to combat, but not impossible. It is only temporary while the time you have to work hard and practice is infinite. I learned that from this very experience and I will never forget it. Rejection is not the end, but only the beginning of your comeback story. What did you learn from failure in the past?