My personal goal for my senior year of high school was to be a captain of the football team. Yes, we had team goals, like winning conference and the state championship, but I really wanted to be a leader of the team. The voting process was that everyone on the team had to write down the 4 players’ names that they thought should be captain for the year. After tallying up the votes, I was fifth on the list…
My coach pulled me a side afterwards and told me that if he could have five captains then I would be the fifth, however it just was not the case. He encouraged me to continue to lead by example and to be a vocal leader. Even though I was not going to be representing my team at the coin toss, he ensured me that everyone would still respect me as a leader of the team.
Honestly, I was disappointed.
I wanted to be one of the actual captains for the past 3 years of my life. To be let down like that hurt a little bit, but I knew I still had to fulfill my role on the team. People were counting on me to do my job and to do it well. After a day or two, I did not let it get to me anymore. I knew my role and my purpose and I wanted to do the best that I could to help the team.
I needed to overcome the situation that occurred and move on for the better of the team. In the business world, people are always striving to get that new job or job promotion. In a sense, it would have been a promotion for me to be captain. Even though you might not get what you want, you always have to remember that the team still needs you. Learn from the experience and that way the next time you are going for that job or promotion you are ready and can win the competition. It is extremely important both in the business world and the world of sports to be able to overcome adversity and strive to be better. Without mental focus and clarity, I could have sulked the whole season and had a miserable senior year. Now, I know how to be a leader even without the title and I know how to accept a challenge and overcome adversity.
Nik Koelblinger 