Common App Essay (*536 words)
Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
The only sport where you can fail 7 times out of 10 and still be considered great. From Ruth to Bonds, baseball is a game that is defined off statistics, failures, and achievements. A game where 33% is Hall of Fame worthy, where you can do your job 33% of the time and be considered an all time great; America's pastime is often associated with building character.
From t-ball to high school ball, baseball has always been in my life. When I was 14 my coach suggested that I see a pitching coach as many coaches said I had raw potential, potential, which, if nurtured correctly, could truly amount to something great. As someone who was always leery of others I doubted what my coaches had to say.
But, as my baseball career progressed this potential began to deteriorate, as injuries were unrelenting. I began feeling pain in my elbow, and was eventually diagnosed with tendonitis. Not only were these small failures physical as I felt my body was betraying me, but also mental. I had trouble regaining my confidence and composure on the hill (pitching mound). I was no longer seeing these massive gains, and I quickly fell below the learning curve. The more my poise vanished, the more I felt out of place
Even through my capricious career as a pitcher, my family has not counted me out. I am often tougher on myself than they are, much tougher. Up until this point in time, I reacted to failure poorly; I would often times spiral into a state of denial and rejection. However, my failures through baseball have taught me to harness and control these feelings; as success is a measure of how you recover from failure. They say baseball players, pitchers especially, should have what is called a "short memory" -where you forget about the mistake(s) you just made and continue forward-. For a while I always blamed my body and constantly questioned it abilities; as I matured I came to realize that I was wrong in blaming my body, when it was really my mental state to blame. Injuries are part of the game, and I had to come to accept that. However, I always wonder, where could I be had I avoided so many injuries? A question that has no definitive answer.
Moving forward from my failures I hope to achieve greater moral clout, as I truly believe that this experience has help shape my character. Failures like these that make one "battle tested" and I can now honestly say that I am "battle tested." I will no longer crumble at the door of failure. In times of adversity, one genuinely understands who he really is. And as outlandish and eccentric as it sounds, I am almost looking forward to my next failure. Not because I enjoy failure, rather those failures, when handled properly, help fortify my disposition. Without various failures throughout my sports career, more specifically baseball, I wouldn't be the strong willed human being that I am today. Baseball, even when I play today, more so than other sports, taught me discipline. As Jim Rohn says "Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." Failure is not my body being unable to play, rather my willingness to let myself be defeated.
Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
The only sport where you can fail 7 times out of 10 and still be considered great. From Ruth to Bonds, baseball is a game that is defined off statistics, failures, and achievements. A game where 33% is Hall of Fame worthy, where you can do your job 33% of the time and be considered an all time great; America's pastime is often associated with building character.
From t-ball to high school ball, baseball has always been in my life. When I was 14 my coach suggested that I see a pitching coach as many coaches said I had raw potential, potential, which, if nurtured correctly, could truly amount to something great. As someone who was always leery of others I doubted what my coaches had to say.
But, as my baseball career progressed this potential began to deteriorate, as injuries were unrelenting. I began feeling pain in my elbow, and was eventually diagnosed with tendonitis. Not only were these small failures physical as I felt my body was betraying me, but also mental. I had trouble regaining my confidence and composure on the hill (pitching mound). I was no longer seeing these massive gains, and I quickly fell below the learning curve. The more my poise vanished, the more I felt out of place
Even through my capricious career as a pitcher, my family has not counted me out. I am often tougher on myself than they are, much tougher. Up until this point in time, I reacted to failure poorly; I would often times spiral into a state of denial and rejection. However, my failures through baseball have taught me to harness and control these feelings; as success is a measure of how you recover from failure. They say baseball players, pitchers especially, should have what is called a "short memory" -where you forget about the mistake(s) you just made and continue forward-. For a while I always blamed my body and constantly questioned it abilities; as I matured I came to realize that I was wrong in blaming my body, when it was really my mental state to blame. Injuries are part of the game, and I had to come to accept that. However, I always wonder, where could I be had I avoided so many injuries? A question that has no definitive answer.
Moving forward from my failures I hope to achieve greater moral clout, as I truly believe that this experience has help shape my character. Failures like these that make one "battle tested" and I can now honestly say that I am "battle tested." I will no longer crumble at the door of failure. In times of adversity, one genuinely understands who he really is. And as outlandish and eccentric as it sounds, I am almost looking forward to my next failure. Not because I enjoy failure, rather those failures, when handled properly, help fortify my disposition. Without various failures throughout my sports career, more specifically baseball, I wouldn't be the strong willed human being that I am today. Baseball, even when I play today, more so than other sports, taught me discipline. As Jim Rohn says "Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." Failure is not my body being unable to play, rather my willingness to let myself be defeated.
