Any feedback on this essay is appreciated :)
Growing up, I was always the tomboy. I was the girl who always hung out with the boys. I was the one who spent all my time getting dirty outside while playing sports. My dad solely embraced this attitude as well. I was his first child. He didn't have his boy yet. He thus put forth all this effort to make me an athlete. I juggled playing soccer, volleyball, basketball, and softball. I excelled at these and enjoyed these sports. While the sports I play certainly do matter to me, it's bigger than that.
Every athlete has heard the phrase "it's not about winning, it's about having fun." But come one now, let's face it, this is not true. For me, I have the most fun when I win. No one likes losing, and while it may be a hard fought game, it's never rewarding unless you get the W at the end. The feeling of success that is accompanied with winning is one that cannot be matched by any other. To me, success is everything. It's just the way I am. I'm incredibly competitive and always try my hardest to win.
The urge to succeed is what drives me. I cherish the feeling above pretty much everything else. It is what keeps me going. I'm constantly searching for a way to be successful in everything I do. Life for me is a competition, and no matter what, I always try my hardest in whatever I do. In those late hours of the night, when all I want to do is go to sleep but I still have tons of homework, I stay up and do it because by doing it, I succeed all the more in school. At the end of a basketball game, when there is a minute left and the score is tied, and I'm dead tired from playing the whole game, I push myself all the more further so that when we win, I know my hard work paid off. And in those times when I don't succeed, rather than hang my head in disappointment, I push myself more so that next time I'll be prepared and will succeed at whatever my next challenge may be. The desire to succeed matters to me, and without it, who knows where I would be at in life.
Growing up, I was always the tomboy. I was the girl who always hung out with the boys. I was the one who spent all my time getting dirty outside while playing sports. My dad solely embraced this attitude as well. I was his first child. He didn't have his boy yet. He thus put forth all this effort to make me an athlete. I juggled playing soccer, volleyball, basketball, and softball. I excelled at these and enjoyed these sports. While the sports I play certainly do matter to me, it's bigger than that.
Every athlete has heard the phrase "it's not about winning, it's about having fun." But come one now, let's face it, this is not true. For me, I have the most fun when I win. No one likes losing, and while it may be a hard fought game, it's never rewarding unless you get the W at the end. The feeling of success that is accompanied with winning is one that cannot be matched by any other. To me, success is everything. It's just the way I am. I'm incredibly competitive and always try my hardest to win.
The urge to succeed is what drives me. I cherish the feeling above pretty much everything else. It is what keeps me going. I'm constantly searching for a way to be successful in everything I do. Life for me is a competition, and no matter what, I always try my hardest in whatever I do. In those late hours of the night, when all I want to do is go to sleep but I still have tons of homework, I stay up and do it because by doing it, I succeed all the more in school. At the end of a basketball game, when there is a minute left and the score is tied, and I'm dead tired from playing the whole game, I push myself all the more further so that when we win, I know my hard work paid off. And in those times when I don't succeed, rather than hang my head in disappointment, I push myself more so that next time I'll be prepared and will succeed at whatever my next challenge may be. The desire to succeed matters to me, and without it, who knows where I would be at in life.