Keeping motivated

Out of all the things in life, I find that staying motivated can be one of the most challenging things. Motivation by definition is the general desire or willingness to do something. When times get tough, motivation is often the first part of mental fatigue. The feeling of despair and regret takes place, and then one can often spiral. In this post, I hope to use my tennis career as an example of how staying motivated can pay off.

I played tennis at Maryville College for three years. Of that, I must have played hundreds of practice matches, and dozens of competition matches. Out of all of that, I won once. It was my second last game, and my opponent's senior night. That three year losing streak was one of the least fun experiences in my sporting career. By year two, I was losing faith and couldn't figure out what to do. I was a rookie, but I wasn't getting any breaks. I worked hard in practice, and over time saw some improvements in my matches. Instead of losing 6-0, 6-0, I started losing 6-4, 6-2. So I started to look at the little victories, rather than the large ones. In doing so, I found motivation. I realized that if I started focusing on setting my targets to winning sets, rather than winning matches on the whole. And you know what, this approach worked. Although I was losing the matches, I was winning sets, extending the game, and frustrating my opponent. Once I had the little confidence that I could win a set, all I needed to do was string two in. match. Finally my break came. Although it took much longer than I would have liked, staying motivated made me keep playing tennis. It would have been very easy to say: "You know what, this isn't for me. Sorry team, but no."

I've played many sports, I've won many awards, but hands down, that one victory tops them all. Digging deep and staying motivated were the primary factors that kept me in the sport, and it taught me a valuable lesson. That lesson is to stay motivated, even in times of adversity. I have been able to transfer this motivation to my academic and professional career. I believe that it has helped me fight for what I believe is right, and for going that extra step when performing academically.

So readers, I ask that even when times get tough that you stay motivated. Who knows, your first win might come sooner than you expect.