Personal Narrative: How Volleyball Changed My Life

Throughout life, we are all forced to face strenuous challenges. Setbacks come at the worst possible times and eventually, we all fail at one thing or another. All of these are a part of life. In order to be successful, we must learn to push ourselves to overcome these difficulties, to be our own motivators. But, as in most cases, it is easier said than done.

Towards the end of my sophomore year in high school, I tore my ACL. To a lot of people it does not sound like that big of deal, but for me, volleyball was everything. I had been playing nonstop from school season in the fall to club in the winter and then beach volleyball in the summer since fifth grade. My entire life revolved around it. So when I was told that I would not be able to play for

All I could think about was recovering and getting back onto the court. When it came time for physical therapy, I pushed myself to get better faster. And finally, I was released. I went to my first practice expecting it to be the same as it always used to be-for me to play the same as I always used to. All of a sudden, my moves were awkward, everything felt wrong, and I could not play volleyball to save my life. Slowly, I became filled with self-doubt, in all aspects of my life. I lost all motivation to try. The one thing I had always been good at, the one thing I could always count on, was gone. It took me a while, but I finally realized that if I wanted my position back, if I wanted my confidence back, then I would have to work for it. I began creating goals for myself and working hard to achieve them. Most importantly, I had to learn how to motivate myself. It does not matter how many people are encouraging you, you have to be the one to want it. You have to be the one to push yourself. The recovery became more mental