It amazes me how many people underestimate themselves. Too often people sell themselves short before they even begin. They tell themselves that they can’t achieve that ultimate goal. But why?
Think back to when you were a kid, to the biggest dreams you had and the limitless potential you saw in yourself and your future.
Maybe you dreamed of having a beautiful home, of becoming a scientist, of owning your own business, of travelling the world, or of becoming a professional athlete. Whatever that dream was for you, it felt completely and totally possible.
Until you started to grow up and society and limited minded people began to tell you that you needed to be realistic, to stop thinking so big, that you should instead go to school, get a degree, and settle for a career that promised security instead.
In other words, they told you that you weren’t good enough and that you should play small and safe. And at some point, you started to believe them.
I fell into a similar cycle that I allowed to discourage me from relentlessly pursuing a dream that I had since I was a young girl – making an Olympic roster. I was a late bloomer in the hockey world which meant I missed the first stages of getting noticed by Hockey Canada. Knowing this was disheartening, but I still kept pushing to make it to the next level. But each year that went by where I wasn’t getting noticed reinforced the idea that I should give up on that dream altogether.
I allowed the knowledge of the recruitment process that I learned from coaches to discourage my efforts and place limitations on myself and my abilities as an athlete.
Recently, I reconnected with this goal and reignited the fire within to start pursuing it one more time.
At first, it was a challenge to actually believe I could do something so daring, especially knowing the process and the odds of achieving such a goal. But I wrote it down anyways. It was overwhelming to see it written in front of me, but it made it more real in my mind. Then I started to visualize what that would look and feel like. Most recently, I started to talk to others about it. Now I’m sitting here writing this to you. It is as real as it can get and now the work needs to be done.
All of this is to inspire you to stop playing small and start going after those big dreams you have. Don’t underestimate what you are capable of. If you have a dream – no matter how big or small – don’t ever stop working towards that.
Do not allow others or yourself to put you in that box because you are limitless.
– Coach Taylor
