The following post has been inspired by some photos taken by my friend Carey Schumacher.
Carey Schumacher is a soccer mom & photographer from San Diego, California.
http://www.barefoot-memories.com/blog
http://www.barefoot-memories.com
The photos used for this post have been provided by Carey. Make sure to visit her sites.
The journey of soccer can be thwarted with uncertainty, issues, problems, confusion and indecision. The sport at times can even make you feel powerless.
To try and give you a solution to these feelings would be ludicrous and to some extent naïve. It breaks my heart when I see young players with all the potential and natural talent give up.
Too often young kids give up.
Too often situations in soccer appear insurmountable and the easiest thing to do is give up. If I can stop one kid from quitting the game through this post then I’d be extremely happy.
The simplest advice I can offer to any young players is this,
“Do not give up”.
Most kids and teenagers these days give up because they succumb to many pressures that are related to competitive sports. If a child feels like he’s a failure, chances are he will quit. If the player feels inadequate and below par then the quest for that elusive contract becomes a faded memory.
Success in soccer is not always about that elusive full time professional contract. Success is not about the money you make or the team you play for. Success is not about the amount of trophies you have in the trophy cabinet.
So what is soccer success? Who defines soccer success anyway?
When times are tough and your form has deserted you, turn to your friends. Focus on the friends and teammates around you and live in the moment. Stop contemplating future contracts or lack of them and enjoy the moment.
All the worries and pain you are going through will allow you to grow as a player. It will allow you to build character and develop an understanding of who you are. It will give you a sense of belonging if you have the ability to turn to your teammates and close friends.
Chances are if you’ve played soccer from a young age most of your best friends today would have been a part of your junior team. Trust the soccer path because it will lead you to where ever you are supposed to go.
Trust in Soccer and your friendships (teammates). Know that if something is meant to be, it will be.
Although I use this site to motivate all players, the truth is not everyone is destined for the big time.
But having said that, making the big time doesn’t necessary mean you have succeeded either. Soccer shouldn’t always be about success and failure, winning and losing.
Appreciate soccer; know that it’s a precious gift and a great way of life.
In my life I’ve come in contact with some great people through soccer. My best friends today have been my friends since junior soccer. These friends have been in my life for decades. The trust and love we have for each other can never be replaced with a trophy, with money or even a full time contract.
These guys would take a bat to anyone’s head for me and I would do the same in a heartbeat. Could you ever put a price on this friendship?
Playing soccer I didn’t have to work until the age of 27 and got to travel the world. The roller coaster ride of soccer was just that, a roller coaster.
Did I retire a millionaire?
Did I eventually play for a big club?
No I did not.
When I did retire I was left with 2 badly injured knees with arthritis. Getting in and out of bed these days is a struggle.
But would I change it?
Some wisdom from the Greeks,
“he who has found a best friend in life has found the rarest treasure in the world”.
Through soccer I’ve found a handful of treasures.
People talk about friendship without knowing what it stands for. True friendship is one where formalities are not maintained.
Friendship is the situation when the person you are talking about is counted as one of your family members.
If you don’t correspond for sometime, your friendship remains unscathed. Best friends do not have to meet up to make sure the friendship remains.
The little guys I played soccer with over 30 years ago are the treasures I’m talking about. They are my best friends, my treasures.
So my question to you is this,
Did I succeed in Soccer?
So before you decide to quit the game, look to your left and right because you could be surrounded by the shiniest of treasures.
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