AS WE grow up, we try to make a plan regarding where we are headed in life. We set goals, we make timelines and we visualize ourselves as professionals in our chosen fields.
Despite all of the planning, there will always be a certain dream we wish we could have fulfilled. Mine was becoming a professional basketball player.
Summer before my first year in the University, I tried out for the Growling Tigers. Yes, the Growling Tigers.
Even though I had no prior varsity basketball experience in high school and barely joined any barangay leagues, I thought I should at least try. To no one’s surprise, I failed. I was too slow, too physically unfit and I was a hundred steps behind in terms of skill and talent.
Why am I writing about a failed dream? Because failing is better than not trying at all. Before the tryout, I knew it was improbable that I could crack the Team B, much more the Team A. But how would I know if I didn’t give it a shot?
We are always afraid to fail that we are already failing ourselves for eluding the opportunity of growth.
After not getting a callback, I realized I was better off at the sidelines, writing about sports. My failure led me to an endeavor that has opened a lot of doors for me in my chosen profession and in life itself. Although I was not the one shooting the ball, defending the opponent’s best player or hitting the biggest shot, I feel the same adrenaline even if I was just sitting in the bleachers, jotting down scores and taking notes of the important moments of the game.
Our failures help us become the people we are today. There are a lot of opportunities that life offers but we try to avoid them, scared of being rejected or turned down. Just imagine if we only experience triumph and winning, what would become of us?
After four years in the University, I learned that getting out of your comfort zone is a great way to progress as a person. I learned that it is okay to make mistakes because all of us falter in our own ways. It is just a matter of perspective if we let our failures consume us or motivate us.
To Mama and Papa, thank you for everything you have done for us. I still cannot understand how both of you make ends meet; I guess it is just a skill that every parent masters when they have a child to put through college.
To Mommy Mila and Tita Delma, thank you for providing a caring home when I am far away from my original one.
To Czarina, thank you for being my rock. Thank you for always pushing me to do better.
To the Sports team, thank you all for letting me guide you this publication year. I learned a lot from all of you.
To the V, I am forever grateful for the things I never thought I would learn or experience. Thank you for being my home for the past three years.
