Always Believe
I believe that when you work hard and you are passionate about the goals you set, you will achieve your “dream” no matter how difficult it is, how much effort it requires, or how long it takes. I experienced a lot of situations where many people didn’t believe that I could reach my goals; sometimes I even thought that I couldn’t do it, but I never gave up.
One of the situations was when I started my volleyball career and I dreamed about being invited to play on my State’s Team as an outside hitter. Everybody used to tell me that I was too short to play on the front row and that if I wanted to play, I would have to be on the back row. I had the desire to show that I could play in front and that I was going to make it possible, so I continued to practice hard, playing on the front row of my team. One day I was invited to play on the State’s Team, and I was asked by the coaches if I wanted to play in the back row as a starter, or if I wanted to stay on the front row but sit on the bench for most of the time. I decided to choose the front row, and I don’t regret my choice; in every single practice, I gave it all on the court, and by the time we had our first tournament, I was starting on the front row. My team won second place in the National Tournament, and I felt really happy for reaching my goal and proving to everybody that I was capable.
Another situation was in 2004 when I was three months away from a really important tournament for me; my doctor told me that I would have to pass through knee surgery.
After surgery, I would have three months without practicing. I scheduled surgery as soon I could, and after the surgery, I was on the rehab. I started my physical therapy with positive thoughts and hard work to reach my goal of playing in the tournament, and after each section of rehab with the doctor, I would go to the gym and practice a few digs against the wall. Two months and a half after my surgery, I was on the court. I started playing again, and I was in the tournament. That was really special for me because I accomplished a lot, and playing volleyball is everything for me. I knew that I lot of people who had experienced the same situation and gave up volleyball, so I was really proud of myself for being there playing.
Those situations are the proof that we have to fight for our dreams. Never gave up your goals and dreams. Always work hard for them. In the end, making your dreams come true is worth all the work. Always have in mind that the worst loss is to give up the fight.