Reflective Essay: How Baseball Has Changed My Life

Playing baseball is something that would show up on a college application but its importance in my life can’t be overstated. Baseball has taught me many life lessons as well as opened doors that wouldn’t exist without it. The people that I have met, the coaches who have taught me the game, have all had a profound impact on the player and the person that I am today. Baseball has changed my life completely. It has created a strong work ethic because if you aren’t concerned with getting better then someone will pass you by. My coach always said, “There is somebody working just as hard as you, what sets you apart from them.” That created a fire inside of me because when it’s late at night and it’s been a long day, I go back to what he said and it drives me to get better. I feel this way when I train for baseball, when I do schoolwork, and when I do anything in life. It has also given me a dose of humility because I have come to understand that I may not be the most skilled player on the field at times but nobody will outwork me. It has created a drive to succeed in everything I do and a competitiveness that has set me apart from others. My competitiveness at times can be a blessing and a curse but I also feel that some people that don’t have that same drive don’t understand what it’s like. When

This has given me a sense of maturity that I can approach things in life thinking that everything is a learning experience and no matter how large the failure, the success can always be bigger. My coaches have also taught me how to respect the game because it has created a respect that I can take into the real world. The respect that I show to umpires and to players on the other team has shown me that the players who represent the game make up what the game stands