Til the whistle blows

“In life, you have 3 choices: give up, give in, or give it your all.”

Anyone who has played sports has heard the words “don’t stop playing until the whistle blows.” If you haven’t played sports, I’m sure you’ve heard something similar. You always hear this phrasing, but do you know what it actually feels like to give every ounce of effort you have toward something?

You know when you do.

Nothing is more rectifying than feeling like you have put everything on the table when the clock stops. Especially when you win.

In my life, I have had many situations where I feel like I have given it all, but I haven’t won. This feeling is demoralizing. You start asking yourself whether it is really worth trying anymore. You are exhausted but you can’t quite find a way to win.

What you don’t realize is that each time you give it all, you are creating a path for future success. 

Remember when you practiced all season and didn’t win the championship? It did something for you later. Remember when you worked your ass off studying to get an internship and still weren’t picked? It paved a path for you later. Remember when you lifted all those weights to get the girl and she ended up with someone else? That loss will turn into a win later.

With every loss, you are manifesting a future win.

I lost so many times in my life. I played baseball for 18 years. I put countless hours into that game. Nights I spent 3 hours in the batting cage hitting off a tee to perfect my game. Countless hours in the gym building myself up to become stronger. Repeated arm exercises day after day to build up my arm strength to be the best pitcher I could be. 

Where did they get me? Well, I’m not in the pros.

Some will say that those are wasted hours. There was no return on investment. I say they are wrong. 

Giving my all to that sport that, in the moment, felt like never rewarded me, has rewarded me more than I would have ever expected.

I have grown from all the times I failed.

I have come back from not being the best.

My past failures have inspired me to be better.

In those moments of giving all I had, I found something in myself. I found the ability to persevere. I discovered the mental strength to push through the tough times. I proved to myself that no matter how hard it gets, I will overcome it. That is priceless. Because of this, I have become successful.

I learned that to get what you want, you have to fight. You have to fight endlessly to be at the top. You will never just make it one day and quit working. No. You must continue practicing the same daily disciplines day in and day out if you wish to remain at the top.

You fail when you end the day knowing you could’ve done better.

You succeed when you know you gave it all, even if you don’t succeed in the moment.

Success is constructed over time. 

Each time you fail, you get closer to succeeding. 

But the key is to keep giving it all until that whistle blows.

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Thank you for reading!

My goal is to inspire self-improvement in others through my personal stories and experiences.

This is The Exploration.