Competition. Dedication. Dreams. Goals.
These are all words we hear in our every day life. As an athlete, these words have accompanied me for the past 18 years on and off the soccer field. I have competed all the way up to the collegiate level. I have dedicated my mind, body, and soul to the sport I love for 18 years. I have dreamt about-and succeeded in-playing at the division one level since I knew what college soccer was. I have talked about, planned out, succeeded, and failed in countless goals that I have set for myself and my team as a whole.
The idea of failure has never scared me mainly because I know what it is like to experience it. I have never considered myself as one to be scared to do something because of the idea of not succeeding in the process. I know what it feels like to lose a game that makes or breaks a season. I know the heartache of walking away from a tournament empty handed because another team out played you. I know what it’s like to shed tears because my efforts on and off the field weren’t good enough. Failure doesn’t scare me because failure has been an experience of mine more times than I wish I could say. But I am the person I am today not just because of the successes I have had. Not just because of the competitions I have won, the dedication that has gotten me what I wanted, the dreams that have come true, or the goals that I have set and acquired. I am who I am because of all of that, but also because of the competitions I have lost, the dedication that did not get me the desired outcome, the dreams that I watched get crushed, and the goals that I saw disappear from my eyes and vanish from my grasp.
I don’t regret those moments. I don’t wish for the failures I have experienced to have been successes. I know that God put me through those agonizing, tear jerking, and heart wrenching moments on the pitch, in the classroom, and anywhere else in life FOR A REASON. It is all-apart of the grander plan that he has set in motion for me and I have accepted that. I am not saying that whenever I fail, I have a smile on my face because believe me that is the last thing you will see me doing; what I am saying is that I may not be happy in that moment, but I will be happy in the long run. I accept the failure, the success, or the in between because I trust God and I believe in his plan for me.
With all of that being said, as an athlete I love to compete. Everything I do is a competition in my eyes whether my competitor knows it or not. And also as an athlete, I strive for greatness- not for mediocrity. So my competitions sometimes may seem far-fetched to others, but what’s an easy competition going to prove? Everyone has heard the expression, “go big or go home,” why not put that into action?
As for this blog, I have a little competition that I’m dedicating my time to in order to reach a goal that I’ve been dreaming of. This goal has to do with fundraising. At this point in time, I am at about $2,700 for my World Race. I want to reach $3,700 by January 12, the time my spring semester starts. That means in 24 days, I want to raise $1,000. Crazy? Maybe. Possible? Only with your help.
There are many ways you can help me reach this goal. The first obviously being to donate whatever amount God has laid on your heart. Any and every donation you can give is encouraged, accepted, and appreciated more than you will ever know.
If at this moment in time you don’t have the ability to give, YOU CAN STILL HELP OUT! You can help compete with me and make a stride toward me reaching this dream. How? Spread the word. Share this blog. Post it on any and every social media. Get your friends involved. Have them spread the word too!
The more people that know, the more donations are possible and the more donations possible, the closer I am to my goal.
Help me make my dream a reality. Help me compete. Dedicate some of your time toward my goal. Bring me one step closer to spreading the word of God on my world race.
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and the assurance in what we do not see.”
I’m confident. Are you?
Until next time<3
