Looking Into The Future, Changing The Present

With the final semester of my sophomore year beginning and junior year approaching fast, I have been taking plenty of time to consider MY future and what I wish to focus on. I have always been told "high school goes by in a blur" and I acknowledge this as fact. I know that my time in the safety of high school is limited and soon I will have to decide what I want to do with my life. For all of my 16 years being alive, I have never had any particular subjects that interest me more than others. With the concept of my high school time limited, I am fully aware it is time that I make changes and find the areas I would like to focus on for a possible career and just discovering what truly makes me happy.

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I recently made the decision to drop swim and possibly volleyball so that I am able to put all of my energy and focus into basketball, the sport I admire most, and into school. I have found that many multi-sport athletes typically know what sport they enjoy most yet for some reason, wait so long to drop the others and do not dedicate enough time to the ones they wish to proceed in. As an athlete with a particularly large following of fans, I know that it can feel like a lot of pressure to walk away from certain sports due to the constant worry of the response of others. But, in the long wrong, it is so important to remember my life belongs to me and only me. It took me a long time to process that and accept it. I still struggle in making these decisions in fear of disappointing others. But, after high school is over, no one cares about the choices I made or which sports I did or didn't play.

So, I have made the conscious choice to eliminate what I no long have a passion for and continue with what I love. In this process, I have learned so much about myself which I believe in the end, will give me such strength and huge advantages in life. I continuously find myself falling back to music and basketball but not always having enough time to pursue those dreams for my time was limited. Now with my changes, I get the opportunity to practice basketball more, allowing me to improve. I also am able to play piano more as I used to and develop my singing voice which I have always kept to myself.

I know this is a lot about me, me, me but, I want to get the message out to athletes all over and just students in general, that you should always listen to your own heart and follow your desires. Do NOT let anyone else tell you what is "best" for you and don't worry about what other people think. Be your own you and get a head start on your future! Don't waste time not thinking about what you want because you only have so much time before the adult world is before you and you can either be ready to go or fall behind.

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All decisions will come with struggle but, if you are happy in the end, that is what truly matters.

Thank you for reading!

Gabby Giddings