This I Believe

I used to believe an individual's true character and work ethic shows best by what he or she does when no one is watching. I used to believe individuals with great character use these times as an opportunity to strengthen their character and abilities. This belief could apply to any aspect of life: sports, school, church, work, etc. In my life, sports have been where I learned this lesson most.

This belief grew on me during my days in middle school when I played "C" team basketball. We had a coach that absolutely ran us to the point of total exhaustion. He was after all, a cross country coach at the local high school. Our coach was determined that even though we may not be the most talented team, we would be the best conditioned team, giving us an extra edge at the end of the game. While he did not teach directly to my belief, I formed my belief based on his method of coaching. I had a desire to make my hard work in practice mean something once we were in the limelight. The gut-wrenching amount of sprints, "suicides," and agonizing defensive sliding drills did pay off in the end, as we won the first conference championship for our middle school in its ten year existence at the time.

This lesson carried over into my high school sports. I began to form the idea that no matter what I was doing during practice, I would do it going forward with one hundred percent effort (if only I applied this same belief to my school work!). I knew I would have to put forth a great amount of effort in order to play at the high school level. I was short, slow on my feet, and lacked a natural God-given talent for basketball. Because of my lack of a basketball physique, I flew under the radar as far as a recognizable player that could make an impact on the court. Practice, when no one was watching, was my time to show who I truly was. It paid off with two years starting on varsity with great successes on the court despite my lack of size. I played defense inside with the big boys and ended up winning the hustle award three out of four years of basketball -- an award I cherished much more than a most valuable player award because of my belief. I used to believe that no one was watching, and success was for my own personal glory. With success, I came to realize, someone would always be watching, and for that reason, I must work even harder, for people value your hard work above most anything else.