The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
One of the hardest yet most impactful lessons I have learned has been things will happen in life that you can not control, but you do have control over how you react. Whether it is as simple as someone disliking you or as substantial as experiencing a season-ending injury we all encounter obstacles that are poignant (transformative) to our lives. The largest challenge I have had to overcome was recovering from my knee injury that took place in the second game of my junior year basketball season.
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The ball bounced off the hardwood floor rolling into the palm of my right hand. My eyes fixed on the hoop I extended out my arm collecting the steps I took flight, floating in mid-air the ball rolled off the tips of my fingers and sailed toward the backboard. A simple layin. Upon contact with the court, my right leg crumbled beneath me. I dropped to the floor instantly. Immense pain began flooding through my right leg. 2 weeks later I would receive news that I would need knee surgery, now for the second time, for the reconstruction of my ACL, LCL, and Meniscus. This injury meant I would sit out the rest of my junior basketball season, and begin an extensive 9-month recovery period following the surgery. It takes up to 4 months for the new graphs to heal enough to lightly run and 9- 12 months to compete in full contact sports.
I still vividly remember the moment I received the news from my surgeon. As the words rolled out of his mouth and I comprehend what they meant, sitting there on the examination table my body went weak.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
One of the hardest yet most impactful lessons I have learned has been things will happen in life that you can not control, but you do have control over how you react. Whether it is as simple as someone disliking you or as substantial as experiencing a season-ending injury we all encounter obstacles that are poignant (transformative) to our lives. The largest challenge I have had to overcome was recovering from my knee injury that took place in the second game of my junior year basketball season.
The ball bounced off the hardwood floor rolling into the palm of my right hand. My eyes fixed on the hoop I extended out my arm collecting the steps I took flight, floating in mid-air the ball rolled off the tips of my fingers and sailed toward the backboard. A simple layin. Upon contact with the court, my right leg crumbled beneath me. I dropped to the floor instantly. Immense pain began flooding through my right leg. 2 weeks later I would receive news that I would need knee surgery, now for the second time, for the reconstruction of my ACL, LCL, and Meniscus. This injury meant I would sit out the rest of my junior basketball season, and begin an extensive 9-month recovery period following the surgery. It takes up to 4 months for the new graphs to heal enough to lightly run and 9- 12 months to compete in full contact sports.
I still vividly remember the moment I received the news from my surgeon. As the words rolled out of his mouth and I comprehend what they meant, sitting there on the examination table my body went weak. My arms shook and the tears flooded out of my eyes. I was unable to speak or move, frozen at the moment I sat there devastated. I wanted nothing more than to play basketball, and it was now taken away from me. It is such a major part of my life and I felt that I was nothing without my ability to play basketball. There were nights I would lay awake in my bed crying myself to sleep so frustratedly with what happened. I was stuck wishing and praying to change something I couldn’t. It took all 25 days until my surgery for me to come to terms with what happened. I realized that being upset for missing my basketball season and praying to change my injury was not going to help my recovery, it was making everything worse. I had to change my mindset to focus on doing what I could control to recover. I could control my actions to work hard and be persistent in my physical therapy. I had control over my ability to maintain a positive mindset, become a vocal leader on my basketball team, and be open to new opportunities. This injury pushed me to step out of my comfort zone. Enduring this failure made me a stronger individual both mentally and physically. I was not going to let this setback stop me. The restriction on my activity was limiting right after my surgery but I found ways to work around it. I modified my weightlifting workouts to the upper body. To stay in shape I walked hills on the treadmill. I was allowed to swim because the resistance in the water is much lighter so I went to my local public pool and purchased a membership. I would go swim laps and run in the water at least 3 times a week. During my physical therapy sessions, I pushed myself as hard as I was allowed and each time made note of all the new activities I was allowed to do as my graphs became stronger. Soon came the day my physical therapist let me begin running on the treadmill. I have never in my life been so excited to run. I was only allowed to run for a few minutes but it felt so amazing. This was a monumental moment in my recovery progress. Each week that passed I was allowed to run for longer and lift heavier weights. As the springtime rolled around and basketball season came to an end I was allowed to run straight lines without much restriction. I longed to compete again. My best friend, a track thrower, suggested that I try to compete in a running event in track since I was allowed to run in straight lines. However, my options were limited due to the fact I was unable to sprint so thus this narrowed my events down to long-distance running. This type of event was completely new to me but I was determined to compete. I raced in the 3k throughout the season. At districts, I surprised my entire team and myself as I passed the pack on the last lap and placed 3rd one sport away from going to state. I remember my coach running to me wrapping me up in her arms as I crossed the finish line gasping for air. Now I love to run and I am looking forward to track season. Overcoming this obstacle lead me to discover a new passion and talent. I know all the struggles I endured were an essential step to my later success.
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