It Takes Mental Toughness To Laugh

Coming from middle school to high school was about to be a huge step for me. From changing the level of sports and work ethics, I was going to have to change. Middle school was rough for me, as I went through many changes body wise, I wasn’t very determined to do anything, especially schoolwork. Football has definitely changed my work ethics, and my attitudes about schoolwork and other sports. Stacen Doucette, the head coach of the football team was about to be the biggest jerk I’d ever meet, but it’d be good for me.

Summer football started, and it was very easy. The players were nice, and everyone got along well and it was very fun. Then school started to come around and double sessions who everyone dreaded, began. Football always taught me to become stronger mentally. My freshman year we lost to Lisbon by a long shot, 48-6. This was hard for me to see the seniors go, but not the worst feeling ever. My sophomore year I started to play more and became best friends with three seniors. Losing to the new Wells from class C in the first round of playoffs also by a long shot was very hard to watch. Those seniors made a huge impact on my football career and they meant so much to me. One of them, Darryn Bailey told me after the game to keep my head up. He said there are better things to come, and that I was a hell of a player. This really hit me hard and wanted me to work harder. Having two other sports with him were nice, and he made the rest of my high school career a lot more fun because Darryn always taught me to laugh during a tough situation, this was the best lesson someone has ever taught me because it has helped my mental toughness, which I was never good at. My junior year was a very successful year and lost in the conference championship against wells after Gavin broke his wrist on the first play of the game. All I could do after the game was laugh, I was worried about Gavin, but I still talked and laughed with the guys around me to cherish the time left with them.

My Senior year came around and this was the time that I needed to cherish everything. After losing a couple games this season, I still had very many good laughs. What can you do? Losing a game won’t affect you in ten years, so get over it and have a good laugh. I learned laughing is the key in a mentally tough situation, find something to laugh about other than getting upset at yourself. If you can’t laugh at your mistakes, you can’t be mentally tough, you have to get over those things because they won’t always affect how your life goes. Darryn always knew how to get me out of a bad mental state by getting me to laugh, and it always helped. He was always able to help me get up and laugh no matter what the situation was. Laughing has always been a huge part of my life to keep myself in a good mental state, especially during sports. The moral of the story is to laugh at mistakes, there is always better things to come in the future.

Photo by Coast Guard News on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND