Help step bro, I’m stuck
“Maybe that is all I got, should I quit and stop wasting time?”
From the best of my school to nobody
If the thing that once gave you confidence was no longer rewarding, what would you do? Would you let go or insist?
From the top predator that hunted for medals, to now all the predators gathered to compete for 1 title. When all your identity is built around sports, you automatically lose your uniqueness, aka identity crisis, unless you are a prodigy. Otherwise, it often leads to burnout (a physical, emotional, or social withdrawal from a formerly enjoyable sports activity). This is a common phenomenon among athletes.
It was no exception for Jason.
2018 - jumped 6.08m for the school
2019 - placed last in an open 100m race (12.15s)
2019 - injured the hamstring in a relay race
2019 - First time on TV representing his district, and brought out the worst performance in his career (5.61m)
2019 - never jumped over 6m for the whole season
We often attribute an athlete's trough as the result of loafing, and not working hard enough. In Jason’s eyes, it was just bullshit. He followed everything from the coach. Yet, nothing went well.
He refused to accept that 6.45m was all he got. But why? He needed help, and no one offered.
Coaches did not care about that, parents did not care about that, and friends did not care about that either.
“I doubted my value. I often sobbed in the bathroom to question myself. ”
Then a blank 2020 due to COVID-19.
“People only see the one under the spotlight. As a loser, I was left behind. ”
Another voice in his mind was telling him, “Hey man, stop exaggerating your misery. Who the fuck are you, why do people need to help you? Actually, you should blame yourself for not seeking proper help.”
Yeah, he agreed with what this voice said. If you wonder why you are not improving, you are the one responsible for finding the answers, not your coach, not your mama, not your peers.
Instead of waiting for pie in the sky, he researched, set up programs, and most importantly, asked people to help him improve.
“Put your ego down, and start learning everything all over again, how does that sound?”
Good for him, now he did learn something from being at the bottom. He is about to rise, I am telling you guys.