Assignment 19- Olivia Dixon

I think some of the best pieces of advice sound the most cliche. With that said, "do what makes you happy." A lot of times we feel like we have to live up to others' expectations. We strive to please our parents and other relatives, friends, community leaders, and sometimes total strangers. But the truth is, you'll never succeed at something you don't love. For two seasons, I battled with myself, trying to decide whether to quit volleyball or not. Because I wasn't passionate about it anymore, I found myself not caring whether we won or lost. I wasn't improving because I had no motivation to improve. My mom had high hopes that I would get a college scholarship and I felt like I had to continue playing for her, and my dad, and my brother, and my teammates, and my coaches. By quitting the sport, I felt like I would be quitting so many relationships I had built up over the years and I didn't want that. Hindsight is better than foresight. Quitting volleyball was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Instead of struggling through practices and tournaments playing a sport I don't love, I have been able to spend more time with my youth group, get more involved with the children's ministry at my church, land the role of Pinocchio in "Shrek the Musical" at HC, gain about 15 pounds from eating all the junk food a fat kid can dream of at sleepovers and other get-togethers because my weekends are always open, and finally, I've been able to get to know myself better, which is important. At first, my decision to quit volleyball made some people upset, but they've accepted it now because they just want me to do what makes me happy.