These things I regret about my life

Although I feel accomplished in all the things I have done in my life, there is however one thing that I truly regret. I have never really had a great relationship with my Dad. We get along fine, but there has always been a distance between us. I almost feel as if I don't really know him at all. We small talk about sports but usually nothing more. I regret not fixing this lack of communication earlier. It is a lot harder to fix things especially now that I am growing up and will be moving out soon. I do love my Dad. He has done an incredible amount for my family and me and I will be eternally thankful to him for that. I just wish we could have made more of a connection while I was growing up. Hopefully we can bond as I grow older and we can finally have the relationship I think we both desire.

These influences have shaped my life

Throughout my life I have had many people, things, and events that have made me into the person I am today. My life is mostly influenced by my friends and family. My family, especially my Mom and Dad have shaped and molded me into the young man I am today. They have taught me how to be a good and respectable person and I am very thankful for that. My friends also have molded me as a person. My group of friends and I all seem to eat the same foods, where the same clothes, and listen to the same music. I strive to be like many of my friends and admire them greatly. One person in particular has influenced my life the most however. That person is my older sister Sophia. She is the one person in the world that I know I can always talk to about anything. I love her very much and would do anything for her. My sister has influenced me a lot because I have always wanted to be "cool" in her opinion. I remember when I was in middle school trying to act so grown up in front of her high school friends. She has also influenced me in the way that I see how good of a person she is, and I know I want people to perceive me in the same way that they do her. 

These Beliefs I Have Outgrown

Just as many people do, I have outgrown the belief that life is always fair. Often times I find myself working as hard as I can, only to come up short. This however is the story of life. I have learned that failure is not anything to be ashamed of. My Dad taught me a very valuable lesson when I was a young boy. He told me that anyone can be all high and mighty when things are going well, but it takes a real man to stand up after getting knocked down. Already in my life things haven't turned out like I wanted them to. I studied diligently for my math test, but I still only got a C. I worked extremely hard in basketball practice, but we still lost. And I loved my Uncle very much, yet he still died. I know things will never be picture perfect like the way that I plan them, because life just isn't fair. But you can bet that when I get knocked down, I will stand right back up.

These Ideas that brought me liberation

If anything I have learned in life has set me free, it is this. "The reward is the journey." Often time it is easy to get caught up only in the results of things. Some people call it a failure to lose a game or come up short in some other event. I definitely used to feel this way. I remember after losing in a basketball game, I would get so bitter and remain angry at everyone for at least the rest of the day. It is not until high school football that I realized its not always about what the scoreboard says when there is no time left on it. As long as I tried my best, and did everything I absolutely could, I am happy and at peace. This is a lesson I have translated into my everyday life. I know for a fact I will fail, mess up, and sometimes just not be good enough. But I am at peace with knowing that I tried my best and that I will regret nothing. Even though it is not easy to keep this mindset, I know that it will make me a better person in the end.

These are the things I have lived for

In my life, there are many things that I live for. I live for sports and competition. I really enjoy competing against an opponent or against myself. Pushing myself to my best in athletics has helped me to learn how to push myself in all aspects of my life. Although it is often hard being an athlete because of daily practices, games, and workouts, I cannot imagine my life without them. My life would be dull and boring. Another thing that I live for is my friends and family. They are the most important people in my life and I will always strive to provide and take care of them. All of my family and all of my friends are reasons to why I wake up in the morning. Most important, I live for God. I try everyday to live my life the way God would want me to. I know that I will often fail, and do the wrong thing. But through His everlasting love and forgiveness, I know that things will always work out in the end.

These are my life's achievements

I have never really been the kind of person who has a numerous of academic or scholarly achievements. However there are several things I am proud of. I am proud of myself for having a solid 3.0 grade point average at a difficult school like Bellarmine. It has always been a challenge to get good grades for me, especially because my older sister received straight A's while she was at Bellarmine. But I have worked hard and done the best I could do and am happy with the grades I have. Another achievement I am especially proud of is getting to the state semi-finals in football. It was such an amazing season and I am so proud of what we accomplished. Lastly, I am proud that I made the varsity basketball team the last two years. I quit before my sophomore year and I never thought I'd play again. But I decided to come back and made the team, it really showed me the value of perseverance.

These experiences I have cherished

There is no experience in my life that I cherish more then playing football here at Bellarmine. I have been lucky enough to even get the privilege of playing football, knowing there are so many kids who would probably love to play football but cannot for some reason. But what makes this experience truly special is getting to play with my best friends. I have gained so many relationships with my team mates, coaches, and other players that will last me a life time. This season especially was a rememberable one. We made it all the way to the state semi-finals and ended up getting 3rd in state. It was a season that will stick with me forever. We all worked so hard starting as soon as the last season had ended. It was so incredible to see all of this hard work paying off in such a successful season. I will never forget any of the guys I played with and am so thankful they shared such an amazing experience with me.