Personal Narrative: My First Year Of High School

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is to never give up and that everything in life happens for a reason. Throughout my entire life my dreams have been put down by society, wether it was a coach, friend, or family member. Everything I gain is because of me and only me. When I started my first year of high school, I knew I wasn't ready to maintain my academics, my social life, and my sports schedule all at once. I was completely intimidated by everything occurring in my life at the time.
My transition from middle school to high school was extremely challenging. High school seemed like it was all too much for me at once. I put little effort into anything and I felt that I had nothing to work for. In the spring of my freshman year, baseball came around and I thought there would finally be a turning point in my life. This was something I knew I was extremely talented at and it was one of the few things in my life that I was confident about. It's been my dream ever since I was born to play college baseball and

beyond. My whole life I've worked on being the best player I can be and I believed my hard work was finally going to payoff.
After our tryouts, I was convinced I'd have a spot on the highest level.

When my coach told me those nail biting words I had been waiting to hear for months, I was crushed and confused. My coach told me, "you're not big enough to play at this level". I was as talented as anyone else on the team, but because of my size I was characterized as incapable of playing. I took a step back and looked at the big picture. I knew there was a reason those words were said to me and from that exact moment I decided to change my life around. I was a standout player both my freshman and sophomore year and I was finally called up to play at the varsity level my junior year. I was one of the strongest players on the team and led the team to a district appearance for the first time in years. For the past couple of years, those words my coach told me have stayed in my head. It has determined me to work harder than anyone else not only on the field but off the field as

well.
My work ethic has improved drastically from my first year year of high school. I simply put little to no effort into anything my freshman year. My grades weren't even close to where they are now and my life has completely turned upside down. When my coach uttered those words to me I had a completely different outlook on how I did things and I've never been the same person. It was the first time I finally felt that I was making progress in my life and in my dreams.
I thank my coach every single day for giving me that source of determination as it has defined who I am today. I still to this day haven't forgotten those words and I have achieved great things from them. It amazed me how a few words could completely turn my life around. Currently I start on the baseball team and I have a great possibility to play in college and further my career to its highest potential. My grades have improved greatly and I've been able to make myself believe what I am really capable of doing.