Mind Games example essay topic
449 words
As I became older, I continued to covet the black-and-white struggles of sport. Even now, at the ripe and mature age of sixteen, I still play the same David and Goliath mind-games. For example, when I go on a training run in Central Park, I envision myself taking the baton as the anchor leg of the 4 x 800 relay at Madison Square Garden with three men to catch and chasing them all down, while 10,000 spectators are cheering, ! ^0 Go Seamus, Go!! +/- These games are more evident on the soccer field. I hear the announcer say as I practice, ! ^0 James Gormley prepares himself to strike what could be the winning penalty kick in this, the 2002 World Cup, for the United States. He steps to the ball and places it in the lower left corner as the 77,000+ fans erupt into chants of! (R) Ole, Ole, Ole!! What a pressure performer.!
+/- It is this thrill of victory which stimulates my heart and soul to perform, day after day, in an attempt to capture these kudos. If I have written about these mind-games because they emphasize how important competition has been in my life. The way I approach sports is a distinct parallel of the way I approach my life. Sports itself has not taught me discipline, self-control, or how to practice to be by best: it is much to simple for this task. However, I cannot deny the fact that the spirit of competition and the tests of wills between opponents have been critical factors in shaping my attitude to embody that of a true winner. Out of the good that sports have brought to my life, the main area where the mind-games have affected my thought process is in how I accept challenges.
The challenges that have faced me in the past few months, with the! (R) senior crunch, ! have been infinitely greater than ever before. I have viewed each challenge as the underdog and have used the determination and strong-willed! (R) never-say-die! +/- attitude to overcome all obstacles and triumph in each case. It is in the solving of the challenges where the mind-games have to be discarded; these problems are reality. My mother is not in the goal mouth ready to let me score on her anymore.
I cannot win by just scoring a goal or running the fastest time; rather, I have to use the qualities which I have learned from these contests to my advantage. This is what I have acquired from sports. dd.
