I fell from Division 1 to the Junior College level. And it was the greatest thing that could have happened to me...
I had dropped out of school and had given up on volleyball after my freshman year.
My plan was to never touch a ball again and get as rich as possible.
But that isn't how life works.
In the time off I built a brand page called Volleyball Growth Coach to 147k followers on Instagram using just my knowledge of the game.
Through that it brought back that spark of wanting to finish what I started and play in volleyball in college.
So I started reaching out to my old teammates and friends in the game who I knew were at top level programs so i could get my foot back in the door.
I got connected with different teams but one stuck out among the rest. LIU Brooklyn.
LIU was apart of a rising conference and it was definitely a place I knew I could come in and make an impact and be the guy.
They were a chip on the shoulder team just like how I play and they had a lot to prove, which I did as well. It was perfect.
I visited the school and talked with some coordinators to see when i could transfer. This changed everything.
I found out that since I dropped out for a year I was behind on credits and I need to catch up to be able to transfer and be able to play.
I learned that I had to take a semester of JUCO to get on my feet then transfer back to D1 with LIU.
I was not looking forward to it. I was a Division 1 volleyball player and the Junior College level felt beneath me.
I connected with some coaches at my old club and got a spot at Miramar college.
It was a 45 minute drive both ways and I would be the star of the team, by a long shot.
I have always loved being the #1 guy but I wanted to be the #1 guy on the #1 team. My ego had gotten the best of me.
I showed up and was instantly recognized for being the top level player I was. I came in and I was top dog without picking up a ball.
But something hit me.
I still had a lot to prove. This was my opportunity to get back to the level I wanted but it was also an opportunity to be humble, lead the team, and motivate those around me to be better.
In that semester I truly connected with my teammates, I was focused on how I could improve every little thing like never before, and I was motivated like I was 13 years old playing the sport for the first time again.
I worked everyday to get better, stronger, faster, jump higher, hit harder, and I was fully locked back in on the goal at hand… be the guy on a Division 1 college team.
This time had taught me so much about what it means to truly work for something, have focus on a set goal, and lead others along the way.
I could have easily thought Miramar was a waste of time and it was beneath me.
I could have easily came in, played, then left without seeing how I or others could grow.
I could have easily let it get to my head and not connect with those around me.
I could have easily acted like I was better than everyone and feel superior.
But that isn’t what I was put there for.
I was put there to grow, connect, focus, and lead.
So in this next season of our lives as former athletes, remember that nothing is beneath us.
We are put in situations and environments for a reason because it will bring out the areas that we need to grow.
If we aren’t in the place we thought we would be at this time, that doesn’t mean it all was for nothing or we are doing something wrong, it just means this is where we are meant to be on our path so we can become who we need to be in order to get to where we want to go.
I’ll say that again;
We need to become the person we need to be in order to get to where we want to go.
Keep working, keep growing, stay focused on our new goal at hand, connect with as many people as we can, and remember to lead others and ourselves to a better future.
Action List:
Evaluate Our Environment:
See where you are at in life right now. Are you where you want to be? Most importantly are you moving in the direction that you feel is right?
Sometimes we aren’t exactly where we thought we would be but when we evaluate our standing it could be the exact position we need to be in, we just didn’t know it.Find Growth Opportunities
There is always somewhere we can grow and improve that we have lost sight of.
Are there relationships, parts of your work, people in your family, or your own personal growth that have places you can improve that can help us advance.
It is usually the parts that are missing rather than the parts we have down that are the limiting factor to our growth.Adjust To Goal
If both of those areas are aligned then we need to make sure what we are doing day in and day out are actually the right things to be doing to get to where we want to go.
How we do this is reverse engineer. Take who you have to be and what you have to do in order to have that goal achieved then work backwards from that position, those actions, and that way of being and see if what you are doing now aligns with those three things or if they don’t.
We can also just see what it would take to build and maintain that goal we have at that future point, then just start doing those exact actions immediately.
That is how we get pointed in the right direction.
Life is a constant path of growth and change.
If we aren’t in the place we thought we wanted to be, it just means we are in teh spot we were actually meant to be. We just had it wrong in our heads.
See what is around you, use it as opportunities for growth, and align those actions with where you want to go.
Master Your Next Season.