This Destruction of an Athlete's BodyThroughout my life, inevitably I have encountered moments of doubt, moments of distrust, in my own ability. The universality of being an athlete allows for this concept to be applicable to all that attempt and ultimately fail. There holds the physical deterioration as well as the mental weakening in one’s content with comfort. The mind always wants more, and you have to allow your body to fail and try again.
The discomfort of the acceptance with failure led to my feeling of hesitation with future tasks. What happened? Where did I go wrong? I had to have the expectation that I would, and could, move on. As an athlete, the physical wear of my body began to take a toll on my mind, hindering my confidence in progression. The awkward, uncomfortable feeling of being exposed of my weaknesses retaliated in a paralleled attitude coming from within. As an artist, I have encountered the same. Hearing criticism, hearing doubt, from those I respected killed the confidence I spent so long stabilizing. I felt I was in a state of constant limbo; not knowing the way to grow from confronting my failures and mistakes. This is what this piece means to me. |
JourneyThere is a moment in every being’s life where the strength to carry on must come from the self willpower and desire to grow. Realizing my failures and mistakes as an athlete invigorated me to restart and rethink. Where did I go wrong? What can I do to fix it? Can it be fixed at all? The answers to all of these questions lie within my belief that anything can be made better--but you have to want it. If you want something bad enough, if you put all of your energy into creating and being the best, you will prosper. To start the journey of recovery, of regain, I first had to make my mind believe I could do it before I ran for the finish line. As I got back up from lacking confidence in my physical ability, in my creative sense, I experienced a period of regrowth. This regrowth took me by surprise; I never knew I could conquer so much, create so much, run so fast. I was finally at the state that I needed to be. A state where the ability to strive for greatness and achievement was within my reach.
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Conquering of the MindBelieving in the ability of oneself allows you to understand how much your body can truly withstand.
When it comes to athletics, it is all about the power of the mind, but can that be a universal claim? Does this apply in reference to the creation of art? Can you only create within the limits of your own thoughts? If that is so, why not make your thoughts limitless? Why constrain yourself to comfort? Allow your thoughts, your mind, your hands, to be free and delve into the highest potential possible to achieve your ambitions. As an athlete, I had to allow myself to conquer the power of the mind in order to excel; as an artist, I have had to do the same. This lesson, this strength, caused a splash in the two worlds that reside closest to my heart. As I have grown from this ability to push pass the limits of my own mind, a new person has emerged. A new person that allows her mind to be limitless; to take over and explore what it desires. So if one releases the limits of their mind, what lies in their future? Anything. |