About a month ago I had the chance to speak at Florida Kraze Krush for our senior night. This speech was all about "Just Do It", no matter what your "it" is, or WHY you do "it". My intentions are to give a message across to all athletes, both male and female, so please enjoy and share to your friends (: Arguably the most well-known slogan around the globe, Nike’s “Just Do It” trademark has shaped us to go out and push the limits of the sports world. Three simple words turned into a mindset for athletes from Michael Jordan to Alex Morgan, from Cristiano Ronaldo to even you and me. But, WHAT does “It” mean? “It” has a variety of meanings. But the overall interpretation of ‘it’ is simple – anything YOU want to achieve. But WHY do we do it? As to there are a variety of reasons for what ‘It’ can be, there are a whirlwind of reasons WHY we do “it”. We “just do it” because we want to reach our goals. Whether that goal is to play in college, play on the top team, be valedictorian, or get an A on that really hard math test, we ‘just do it.’ For most of us, soccer is our life. We train at least twice a week, play on most weekends, and don’t forget our parents drive all over tarnation to make sure you can be the best player we choose to be. But that’s the thing, it’s whether WE CHOOSE to do ‘it.’ Things don’t come for free. Soccer, and for that matter…life, are about what you make it. If you go out there and go through the motions your goals won’t be reached to their full extent. I speak from experience here when I say, give everything you have every second in WHATEVER you are doing because you will be a better athlete, student, and person for it. A few years ago Jill Ellis gave me some advice that I carry to this day and that is, “You may only get two minutes on the field, but when you do make it YOUR two minutes.” …”Make. It. Yours.” No matter your goal, going out there and doing ‘it’ to the full extent is how you achieve greatness. That means when you are doing some boring passing drill focus hard on your first touch and accuracy of passing. That means when you are playing flying changes and you score, don’t jog to get back into the game. That means when you are running full field sprints after a hard practice, you touch the line. Greatness is in all of us. This is not about lowering expectations; it’s about rising to the occasion. Greatness is not one special place, and it’s not in one special person. It’s everywhere somebody is looking for it. Some of us do ‘it’ to inspire others. I ask each person to look in this room and find someone. Look at them. You could be the inspiration for them, and you may not even know it. How you conduct yourself out on the field, in the classroom, or talking with others are opportunities to influence others. Success isn’t just about what you accomplish in your life, it’s about what you inspire others to do too. My inspiration in my life is my Dad. He is the definition of ‘just do it.’ He was the athlete out working his butt off no matter the time, weather, or day. My dad has inspired me to not just push myself on the field to be the best player that I can be, but has encouraged me to push my limits at whatever I am doing. Whether it is soccer, school, relationships, or working out arguments with my sister, because of my dad I have been inspired to go out and ‘just do it.’ But because of him, I want to inspire others. I encourage and challenge everyone in here to do the same. No matter what you are doing, ‘just do it,’ because it shouldn’t matter if someone is watching. It doesn’t take much to inspire someone. It could simply be a few seconds that they see you giving your all or displaying a simple act of kindness. “Just Do It” simply because it is the right thing to do. You don’t cheat on tests to get a better grade, you study. So why cheat yourself in soccer? Or anything for that matter? You do ‘it’ out on the field because you made a commitment to your sport, your team, your coach, and yourself. You do ‘it’ in the classroom because you made a commitment to your grades. I think back to my sophomore year when impressing coaches was incredibly important. I slacked off. I wasn’t playing to the best of my ability because I let outside factors get in the way. And it wasn’t just in soccer. My grades began to slip and I lost many close friendships. I can still remember the night when I decided I was going to ‘just do it.’ Hue was warming me up in goal. That in itself can be life changing…. I realized I owed a better me to my teammates, to Hue, to Chris, to my parents, but most importantly to myself. That night changed my mindset. I was determined to give everything I had in everything I did. I always had the drive, but not necessarily the will to be the best. But I knew that if I wasn’t giving it my all I was cheating myself. That night our team ended up beating the current two time state champions, and it is one night I will cherish forever. The moral of this story is to do your best, not because someone else is asking you to, but because inside you know that’s what is right. Maybe you do “it” to make an impact. My journey with “It” has had its ups and downs, but until I experienced this course I didn’t realize that each bump in the road is still leading you to your ultimate goal if you allow it to. The pathway to your dream will be full of obstacles, but use them as building blocks. Learning from each other is an incredible way to become better, in whatever we do. I have watched my friends/teammates battle through incredible physical and mental odds while recovering from potentially career ending injuries to returning to compete at the collegiate level, unfortunately, my team has had a lot of practice with this. Mistakes can also teach valuable lessons. A “soft” practice might be more damaging to your teammates than to you. You never know when a younger player might be watching you, and this could be the moment that determines their attitude towards the game. And this isn’t just true on the field. It’s true in the classroom, the workplace, and in your personal relationships. You are leaving an impact out on this world. Do you want to leave it better than you found it? Remember that the next time you go to ‘just do it.’ We all enjoy playing soccer. It’s the time of the day where we get to lace up and go have fun. That’s so important to remember when it comes to why you do ‘it.’ If you are forcing yourself to be doing something, take a step back and evaluate WHY are you doing it? I ran into this last year. I was burnt out. I think most of us have experienced this in multiple aspects of our lives. I wasn’t enjoying soccer. I wasn’t enjoying school. I wasn’t enjoying hanging out with friends. I had to take an introspective look at the situation, and the common denominator was me. I realized that I only had so long to enjoy these moments, and realized how much I treasure my soccer, my schoolwork, my friends, and my family. So giving your all is important, but if you don’t enjoy doing it, then what is the point? Go out there and enjoy ‘it!’ Do things to the best of your ability because you enjoy doing so. I’ve played for Coach Hue for five years, and before this I never really sat down and defined ‘it.’ So I ask you to sit down and define what you want ‘it’ to be in your life, and WHY you do “it.” No matter what ‘it’ is to you, do it now. Because sometimes “Later” becomes “Never.” Soccer is a simple game, but we can take what we learn through the game and translate it over to our more complex ‘off the field lives.’ “Just Do It” isn’t just a mantra, it’s a way of life. Just be Diligent. Just be Kind. Just be Honest. Just be Appreciative. Just be Hardworking. Just be Passionate. Just be Knowledgeable. Just be Humble. Just be Respectful. JUST. DO. IT. Thank you.
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GoalTo keep girls involved in sports for longer Archives
October 2021
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