Memoir-Annalise+B

Annalise’s Memoir Annalise B

In 2010, I learned a valuable lesson that would help me get better at things I wanted to do. I first learned this lesson when everybody on my soccer team could do the move but me. As I was struggling to do the move, my coach told me, “You will get it, just take it slow.” I didn’t get it by the time practice was over and my coach told me one thing before I left, “Strive for improvement not perfection.”

The second time I learned this lesson was the next day at soccer practice from my Coach, again. I was having immense problems shooting with my left foot and my coach had to help me, but not anybody else. Again, I couldn’t do it but everybody else on the team was perfect at it. As I was just about walk off the field to go home, my coach announced to the whole team (mostly me though) confidently, “Strive for improvement not perfection.”

The third time I applied this lesson to my life was this year in February when I guest played in a tournament with our A team. There was only one problem; there was another girl guest playing also. Raquel (the other girl that guest played) and I both knew one of us was going to move up, we just didn’t know whom. We were both unimaginably good and had no idea who was going to move up. As we were warming up one day she whispered to me, “I don’t know if I would be able to leave our team if I am asked to move up.”

I could totally understand this because our team was magnificent. I told her, “ The good part is that there is a lot of prestige that comes with being on the top team. Here’s something to think about that’s not as good, do you like Liam as much as you like Ron?” A week later our coach told us Raquel was going to move up to the white team (top team). As I was going home all I could think was, strive for improvement not perfection.

When I went to bed that night I was in tears because I had been considered “the best on the team” but had never been asked to move up. My mom and dad were comforting me by saying reassuringly, “Strive for improvement not perfection”, and “You’re the best now that Raquel has left.” All of these comforting quotes helped build my confidence level, it also helped with soccer in the long run, but it didn’t help me much that night.

This whole process helped build my confidence level because of all the people reassuring me that I was an extremely good soccer player and that I was better than anybody on the White team. I also have told people this when they are having a hard time doing something. I have used this lesson with school and sports. It has taught me that even if I can’t do something and I have been working hard on it like a bee collecting honey, to never ever give up. This is one of those lessons I will never forget; this has stuck in my mind like ants to honey. It is unusual for me to remember things people say because I have a horrendous memory, but I guess this was special. Some lessons stick like glue, and this was one of them.