Failure From Discouragement
Being an athlete was every child’s dream in my neighborhood; each and every one of us wished we could one day become Maria Jones, or my cousin who is a professional runner in my country. Its every parent’s ambition for their children to be successful in all there endeavor in life. So, they work very hard to make sure their child’s oneiric would come to life. However, I failed to let that cherished desire come to life all because of discouragement. I never thought that my desire of becoming an athlete would ever become a reality. Realizing my wiliness, my parents decided to take me to Lagos to see my cousin. She was always busy training; I began to wonder why she was always working out and training. I never knew it was one of the things that kept her stronger and better on the field.
One lovely day, I was opportune to attend one of her game in the national stadium Lagos state. I was astounded seeing my cousin running with such a full speed as if she was flying on the air like an eagle. You can see the crowed cheering her on with love. Immediately, I said to myself, if she can do this. I can do more it too. All I needed was more training, encouragement and focus. So I decided to put my heart in it more to accomplish my ambition as an athlete. In my mind I wished I was the runner on the field. After the game, I saw my cousin signing a lot of autographs for her fans. I went to her and congratulate her for winning the game.
When she saw me she was very happy that I made it to one of her games. She asked me to sign some autographs and told her fans that I was her favorite little cousin, who will one day become like her. At that moment I began to feel like a star and never wanted to lose that feelings. So, I made the decision right there on the spot to be one of the greatest athletes my country would ever produce. I asked my cousin what it would take to be in that position. She replied “ a lot of work little cousin, you have to be very determined with the vibe to do better”. I took that along with me back to Benin.
On the very first day of school I went to the physical education department to ask for the permission to join the running team. They said that for me to join the team, I would have to do a running test first and I agreed. To my surprise, I did very well on the test. From that day I was very good at the game. I started going for training with friends, striving to become a better runner. I participated in a lot of school competitions and won them. My school was so proud of me that I was given a scholarship. I felt very good about it and wanted to do more because my parent was always there to support me.
In summer of 1995, I qualified for my state cross-country and won a gold medal. This qualified me for nationals. The state promised to sponsor me to the national level. My cousin and my parents were so proud of me that they bought me a brand new car working so hard to reach the level I was.
In November 1995, I went for the national competition and my cousin promised to be there to support me. Immediately after the first game that day I went home mad that she was not there for my game. On my way to the room, I overheard my parents talking about my cousin’s involvement in a very serious accident on her way to my game. And they are not too sure if she could ever walk again. As soon as I heard the news, I wished the ground would open and swallow me. I felt guilty for what happened to her. I couldn’t bear the pain in my heart knowing that because of me, she got involved in a terrible accident. The next day was supposed to be my finals. I went to that game with the feeling that I almost got my cousin killed. Right there on the spot I decided to quite the game without considering the outcome my decision. All I cared about at that time was my cousin’s recovery. My parents were very disappointed that I let my dreams die out of anger, after working so hard to get to this point. I felt disappointed in myself, because I knew when my cousin recover from her illness and hear that I quit, she would be highly disappointed in me. My parents told me that my cousin was never a quitter.
So, this was the cause of my Failure. Being deprived of courage by the accident of my cousin. I lost all my dreams and hope of becoming a professional athlete. I never did forgive myself for quitting though, but as a Christian, I said to myself that there is no reason for me to fill sorry for myself. I believe that every disappointment is blessing from God almighty and I strongly believe that he had better plans for my life.