Responding To Failure In Softball

Failure is an inevitable part of life, one cannot be successful in everything they partake in. Teenagers are prone to failure due to inexperience and immaturity. There have been several moments in my life where I was less than perfect. Those moments are not what define me, but how I respond to these challenges that strengthens my character. I am a firm believer that an individual has not failed until one has given up, because when someone relinquishes their drive they stop moving forward. I have played softball my entire life, always striving to be the absolute best I could be. Softball is a difficult sport because players are expected to fail seventy percent of the time. Playing this sport requires tough mental strength. I have always had a supportive coaching staff, that always motivates me to excel. The coaches I had played for were always individuals that inspired me. Never would I have thought that a

I felt useless and unwanted, like the scum on the bottom of his shoe. I gave up. The worst part of this was the fact that my coach did not even realize that his words and actions were destroying me. I felt embarrassed for something that I should have been proud of, because it was a great accomplishment to make Varsity.

My grandfather is just as enthusiastic about softball as I am, he is my number one supporter and he is always sitting in the stands. He is the reason I became a competitive softball player. Without his influence I would have never started playing. My grandfather explained to me that I will come across people like this for the rest of my life and you must deal with it now and learn from it, rather than be blindsided in the future. He advise me to continue playing knowing that the season would end and stay on the team and fight through all of the adversity. Wait for my moment to shine, but that moment never