Humility Over Pride

It’s full of happiness, sadness, success, failure, hope and grief. Yes, it is life. Our colorful, unique story is constantly in action. Never ceasing to amaze us, it unravels into the product of our imagination whether it is a positive outlook or a negative image. While we cannot always predict or control what happens in our lives, we can always control one thing, our reaction.

Life has a funny way of taking a turn for the worst. Whether we expect it or not, we go through life faced with adversity, obstacles and failure. While these contingencies seem uncontrollable at times, we can learn and grow from them. The only factor holding us back is our pride. Sometimes, we hide behind our fear and embarrassment, which can seem as an abrasive appearance of arrogance and pride. Pride is not bad, but it is when you use it to mask the reality of failure or adversity. Therefore, pride becomes a cowardly quality instead of a powerful trait of character.

When faced with failure or undesirable outcomes, learn from it through humility. Let yourself understand how you got to where you are and learn how to pick yourself up and move on. It will make you a stronger and more compassionate human being. There is nothing more human than setbacks, as successes come in abundance when we humble ourselves from those drawbacks.  

Life has a way of humbling us through its experiences, the people we met and the choices we make. Face adversity, humble yourself through the process and enjoy the abundance of happiness and success when you step out of the shadow of pride and arrogance. Humility is a quality we should take pride in. Boastful pride is a humiliating quality we should stay away from at all times. Furthermore, if you find that you are losing yourself in pride, acknowledge the presence of your fear, and control the only thing you can, your reaction. 

Open-mind + Open-heart = Open-doors

We are accustomed to our daily routines. Whether it revolves around our jobs, our school, families or activities, we set our schedules according to the responsibilities and duties that derive from what we have committed ourselves to. We become a product of our methodical and systematic routines. With that in mind, we sometimes, consciously or unconsciously, become automatic robots living stagnate and planned lives. While this can be fulfilling at times, we close ourselves off to other opportunities and experiences that can come out of life.

You can think, well, I have a job, a family, a nice house, a fulfilling hobby, what more could I want? My answer would start off with, we are humans, and we always want something more. It’s a normal feeling. Those desires, ambitions and goals can add up. They can include being more wise, writing a book, contribute to a club or getting a promotion. These desires can range from tangible objects to the pursuit of humble attributes. You may be asking yourself how you can achieve these wants and needs? Well, I believe it begins with having an open-mind and open-heart. There is no dream, no desire, and no project too big for the body to complete.

The creative process towards open doors to your deepest ambitions, desires and goals has to be flexible. You must be able to communicate your true beliefs towards what you seek with those you trust and connect with. Whether that person is a friend or someone you just met who share common interests, creating an environment to share these ideas can help the progress towards accomplishing or reaching your goals. Now, I am not saying that you should go out into the world telling everyone about every little thing you want to do or get, but I am saying to embrace your personal story and pursuit towards getting what you want out of life. Your open-mind and open-heart will allow you to open the doors to opportunities and experiences that you may not have encountered with a closed mind and heart.

As a witness of opened doors, I make it a point every day to embrace my environment and the people within it. You never know whom you are going to meet and how they could change your life and lead you towards the right direction to your goals, ambitions and desires. As you take on your day, remember to learn and enjoy everything within that environment. Release positive energy out into the world and you will receive a reciprocal abundance of this positive energy. 

My "Thanks Giving"

For five years, I had the pleasure of spending this great American holiday with my friends and family away from home. Each year, a different adventure, but each year as memorable as the last. From Southern hospitality in Alabama to a foreign supper in Harrisonburg with my best Swedish and Russian best friends, I am left with a warm feeling of nostalgia.

My experience in the United States is unique and full of great memories. I was blessed with great teammates and friends, supporting coaching staff and athletic personnel, a fulfilling academic program and a campus that felt like Disney World for college students. While I went through hardships and adversity along the way, I am thankful to have had the perfect recipe to success. I was able to be myself in a place where I wasn’t born or raised. I grew with every year, every person I encountered and every opportunity I was given.

My “thanks-giving” was an ongoing process for five years that continues today. I give thanks for that experience, as it is not everyone that can say that they had the college experience they dreamed of and more. On this day, I give a special thanks to those amazing people that are now part of my life. You have all inspired me to stay the way I am and be better with each day. I cannot begin to express my gratitude but if it’s any consolation, you have made my life passage in the United States remarkable and breathtaking. I will use the fuel you have given me for five years to drive on for the rest of my life.

I hope those of you celebrating the holiday today take a moment to look around and see how truly blessed you are to be surrounded my unconditional love from your family and friends. And to those who are not celebrating Thanksgiving, I hope you have the chance to experience it once in your life the way I have. Happy Thanksgiving and lets get ready for the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas!! 

Oh! , That’s The “Fill in The Blank” Girl/Guy

The way people perceive and define us is based on the way we present ourselves. When we meet someone new, we instinctively tell him or her about the various experiences of our lives. We tend to verbalize the ones that have the most impact on us, whether they be good or bad events. There is your first trap of being the “fill in the blank” girl or boy.

Don’t get me wrong; some people enjoy the label they have been given. Whether they are known as the football guy, the picture girl or the quiet kid, they accept the title they are given. In some indirect way, they seek to be noticed in some simple and narrowed way. While this label may be convenient in times of distinguishing one person from another, it never fulfills and gratifies a person long-term. The label becomes inadequate, oversimplified and in some way, steals from the individuals true uniqueness as a human being.

I know we always have the ability to control the way people perceive you and I believe that it is our duties as unique and distinctive individuals to seek a perception beyond labels. While it is important to let the experiences we have had in the past shape the person we are in the present, I firmly believe that we must pull the qualities and lessons from those experiences such as courage, determination, inspiration, passion, honesty or even loyalty, shine when you speak of yourself. There is nothing more beautiful and true than a person who speaks of the people, places and experiences they have had as catalyst of the person they have become.

There is a sense of inevitability when it comes to perceptions and labels. There will always be someone who will attempt to fit you in one mold in order to simplify your existence. Whether they are doing it consciously or unconsciously, seek to break that barrier of oversimplification. Expect more from yourself, and others will follow. This contagious phenomenon has a ripple effect.

The Gift Of Choice

Whether it is pursuing your life long dream or committing to a partner or even just making a decision about what journey you will take on tomorrow, we are faced with choice. Choice is the gift given to us. It is wrapped with fear, adversity, excitement and layers of emotions and tied with a bow of first step commitment.

From a young age, parents, teachers and authority figures, attempt to mold us into independent minded individuals. While they cater to our emotions and psychological needs by providing us guidance and moral values, they desire to make us independent well-rounded individuals. Well, with that in mind, I think to myself, that is one heavy burden. We find ourselves confronted with opportunities and adversity and seek the opinion of others in order to base our decisions. Furthermore, we hope that the one we seek guidance and support from is equally knowledgeable about the choice we want to make. In the end, we cannot help but realize that although we seek guidance, we are the only true mind we can count on.

I find myself in a place where I need to make a decision about my academic career. While I seek guidance and advice from my superiors, I also see myself leaning towards family and friends for advice. I have broadened the scope of opinions, tips and attitudes towards my plans. I attempt to soak up the good and leave the bad or the harsh criticism aside, which can sometimes me a task of its own. But, at the end of the day, I find myself with my own mind, heart, body and soul conflicted, excited and nervous about the opportunities at hand. I know that it will be my own two hands that will unravel the gift of choice.

As I prepare my mind to see what choice I will make, I tell myself that there is nothing to fear because at the end of the day, the choice I make will be one that I will look at for a while, but will evolve with time, experience, mistakes and success. To those making hard decisions about their future or to those just deciding how they will commit to an opportunity, don’t look at the gift too long, because you will realize that it is wasted time you could be using to shape your choice. So, take those hands of yours, untie the bow of commitment and unwrap that gift like a 5 year old at their birthday party, with excitement, anticipation and with a fearless state of mind.

Natalie Abel: Yes, She Is # 1

In light of the upcoming CAA Volleyball Championship, I wanted to take the opportunity to write about a specific player who has taught me more about the game than anyone or anything ever could. Each teammate I have ever had has taught me a valuable lesson and has inspired me either on or off the court. I bring a piece of each player with me along my life journey. For this specific player, she has demonstrated more perseverance, determination and passion than I have ever seen, but above all, she is the most resilient individual that I’ve ever had the pleasure to play with. I am talking about the one and only Natalie Abel.

My first memory of Natalie was the first pre-season practice in 2008. The team was in the gym in a circle waiting for practice to start when she walked in with Erin, our athletic trainer at the time and Greg, the head strength coach. Her bright smile illuminated the whole gym. So much good had walked into the room that you couldn’t help but smile back. The worst but best part of it all was that she smiled even with her knee injury that put her in a red shirt for the season. She never lost that smile from the moment she stepped into the gym even when times were tough, days were long and that light at the end of the tunnel looked further. Natalie persisted with the determination to be on the court for her team, for her passion and subconsciously to show those around her that it is possible to step back on the court and have an impact. And that she did.

The 3 seasons I had the pleasure to play with Natalie were incredible. They were filled with passion, hardship, fun, obstacles, blood, sweat and tears. I saw Natalie progress every season with more tenacity to stay on the court. This was not a selfish act, but a selfless one. She did not want to disappoint her teammates. Natalie always gave more than she could give whether she was on or off the court. Inspiring her teammates, coaches, staff, parents and fans, she never neglected to make everyone in the room feel special and part of her journey.

I will miss those games where Nat would turn to us on the court with fire in her eyes, the ridiculous memories we made on the bus trips to the games, the tears of joy and sadness we shared for the game, but above all I will miss her presence. If you know Natalie, you will instinctively have that feeling because she generates nothing but good energy and vibes. I know she will continue to impact people in her life as she has done to the team and me. Her journey to greatness has only just begun and will surely be everlasting.