Conceiving Success from The Hardships of Life

Ernest Hemingway famously said, “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” To me, this means everybody goes through obstacles that lead to future successes. Anything we go through can be instructional in how we deal with upcoming situations. The Earth can be a fiery battleground that doesn’t want anybody to succeed, and it seems at times, even exist. In order to survive, one must learn specific skill sets to overcome this adversity. When looking at the repercussions of hardships, it is apparent that it affects all people mentally, emotionally and physically; therefore, it is important that they are seen as learning opportunities, rather than roadblocks.

Being physically impaired isn’t an easy problem to deal with. For example, I experienced a physical setback a year ago playing lacrosse. While practicing my shots after school, I charged down the field, but suddenly found one foot deeper than the other in a hole. What followed was the most painful pop that sounded like cracking all my knuckles at once. In that split second, I was immediately filled with worry for my foot, as well as my athletic career. With a broken foot, I soon found that the simplest life tasks could be abhorrent. It was difficult to adjust my life in ways that I had always taken for granted. Climbing up and down a set of stairs took me two minutes instead of ten seconds. Setbacks aren’t easy, even for the assiduous. It takes time and strength to get through any type of adversity. Not only was I affected physically, but the situation bifurcated into my mental health.

Weeks after my injury, my musclebody started degrading. The surgery took its toll, but too many carbs and countless episodes of My Name is Earl probably didn’t help either. Nevertheless, muscle atrophy had a big role in corrupting my body into a stagnant, soft mess. Before I got back onto my feet, I had a lot of time to sulk about my health and feel sorry for myself. I was used to going out and practicing advanced lacrosse mechanics every morning, and I was in the best shape of my life. Then it all stopped. I lost muscle, gained fat and ultimately, didn’t feel happy. Thankfully, I understood that what seemed like an impairable event was nothing more than a bump in the road. Being the person I am, I was motivated to drive at fifty miles per hour over that bump. I knew that once I was over it, I would grow stronger as a person, (human is an a little less impactful) for what I had overcome.

Dealing with my foot injury has helped me overcome different challenges that have surfaced since thenafter. While rehabbing my foot, I knew I couldn’t workout cardiovascularly. However, that didn’t stop me. On the field, I worked on fundamental lacrosse. I did whatever I could while being stationary, such as playing wall ball every day, and working on my shooting accuracy. Together, that made me a better lacrosse player than before my incident. My hard work, and good ethic didn’t go unnoticed either. The first day of lacrosse tryouts this year, my coaches were impressed how in-season I was. Everyone was aware of the work I put in, and it encouraged my fellow teammates to work harder too.

In some way, I believe the outcome of my injury motivated my team to be better.Before my junior year started, I committed to bettering myself. Not only physically on the field and mentally in my self-love, but also in the classroom. Once classes started, I noticed myself being more dedicated to my schoolwork. I did all my homework thoroughly and completed my assignments the day I received them. I stopped taking time for granted. I started off junior year strong, earning my first 4.0 GPA in over a year. Not only was I on top of my school work, but I was on top of the little things, such as keeping my bedroom spotless, and keeping my backpack organized. Everything labeled in my name, I took pride in. I believe I became a better person, due to one minor injury. A hole in a grass field broke me, but afterward, I found strength in other broken places.

Life has thrown me many curve balls, but I have learned to find ways to come back stronger. I’ve had my fair share of issues, like anyone. Now, I have an understanding of how important it is to stay on top of your mental, physical and emotional health, and I’ve found that when you put work in on one area, the others follow suit. It is easier to get through tough situations when you are healthy. I’m thankful for my hardships because I’ve taught myself great coping strategies that I can continue using. I’ve learned that by focusing on your weakest areas, it helps you become a stronger person which leads you to becoming successful in life.

Works Cited

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