Hustle is Far from Being a Bustle by Austin

Hustle is Far from Being a Bustle by Austin - February 2017 Scholarship Essay

he long rGrowing up, I have always loved the game of volleyball. Being able to pass, set and spike were all so thrilling to me that I couldn't wait to finally start playing as early as middle school. While these first couple of years were filled with few wins, I kept at it because I knew I was still learning the game. However, my whole perception of the game would soon change once high school rolled around, when I truly discovered what volleyball really is.

In middle school, it's important for younger players to have fun playing sports so that they remain interested in the sport in the years to come. However, this lack of demand for skill consequently resulted in failure, but at this level, it was not important. However, when I started to play volleyball in high school under a new coach who had played for years himself, our failures were never forgotten. After coming up short game after game and not giving our one hundred percent, our coach singled our failures down to one thing. Hustle. This is the element that my team lacked in the early years that kept us from doing well. We lacked the ability to go after balls that were seemingly too far away, or we did not have adequate motivation throughout the entire match. However, after countless practices and hours of drills which inundated hustle into me, I came to finally understand what volleyball is all about. The image of six players standing motionless on the court is one that does not rest easily in my mind, and that is part of what has helped me get over that hump of being unsuccessful.

The teachings and values that I have learned as a result of my failures from the early years have propelled me into a much more dedicated player and person today. The bottom line is that as long as one has hustle and leaves everything out on the floor each game, they will always be successful even if they come up short on the scoreboard. No matter how out of balance the score may be, I know that I have done my job to help the team as much as possible when I give all of the hustle within me.

This unflinching and unyielding attitude toward the game of volleyball has also translated itself off the court and into my every day life. Never does a day go by that I don't give my best mentally or physically towards what I am doing because I know that what one puts in is what one gets out. That is my definition of what hustle is. How much one puts in towards something is how their motivation in doing that task is measured by others. If others see the motivation is present, then they will know that the passion is present.

Presenting this degree of hustle in every aspect of life shows to others that I take whatever it is I do very seriously and passionately. As a result, they view me as someone that they can count on who is always willing to help others as much as possible. This goes to show that with the right mindset, sports and their failures can spur monumental changes in one's life that go great distances. This recognition among my peers gives me satisfaction and the confidence in knowing that how I approach every task works. As the tasks grow harder farther down the road, it is important to be a driven person, and volleyball is a sport that showcases and teaches that attribute very well. While my time playing volleyball will greatly decrease in the coming years due to college and work, what I have taken from the sport will truly stay with me forever. That alone is what makes volleyball so unique in my mind, knowing that it will get me past every obstacle in one way or another. Not every job or task will be easy, but knowing that it is possible to overcome each one using mental hustle is a thought that comforts me. To think that what one learns from a passion that they have strictly in the world of sports can translate into success in the world is truly remarkable and invaluable.

In conclusion, there are generally two types of volleyball players, and likewise, two types of people in the world. One is either indecisive and lacks confidence in their actions. The other trusts themselves in everything they do and believes that they can fulfill every task posed to them to their greatest ability. While most start off as the first type of person described, there are millions of ways that they can craft themselves into the second type of person. For me, it was learning through my failures and lack of hustle in volleyball until I finally understood what it meant to have passion in something. This feeling of passion is so strong and so satisfying. I cannot be more thankful for the people in my life that have pushed me to push myself as hard as I have because I know that it will be worth it in tun.