11/06/2023
Did you know I pole vaulted throughout high school and college? Yep! It was incredible.
The amount of life lessons learned have carried me to places (literally) many people won't ever have the chance to go. I learned grit, resiliency, determination, how to fail, how to pick myself back up, how to move on from disappointment, how to make friendships, how to rely on someone... the list goes on and on.
One thing I constantly run through my head though, is "what if". There were some huge goals I had set for myself, and I never reached them. I worked my tail off and yet, that didn't seem to get me there.
I'm sure some mental-block work would have done wonders. But also, I was a full-time, student-athlete and there are limits to what can be achieved under such rigorous circumstances. Sure, people rise above that all the time, and I did, just not to the level I had hoped I could.
I think about what I could have done differently all the time. But in the end, I know I gave it my best. I worked HARD. To this day, I know that that was the standard I had set for myself. I didn't miss a practice unless I was extremely ill. I chose to make "optional" practices and ice baths were mandatory. I still did what I could when I was injured. Essentially, I gave it all my best and more, and despite not having achieved those "heights" I had set for myself, I'm still proud for having built myself in the process of it all.
In life we hold ourselves to certain standards. Personal, social, work, etc. It's how we ever achieve anything. When you have a solid grasp on what you expect of yourself and others, you inadvertently set the stage for being able to measure growth. Of course an amount of grace and forgiveness is warranted, because, well, we're human. But in the end without a standard to hold ourselves to, how will we ever perform? How will we see how far we've come? And how can we ever hope for a brighter future?