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Jessica
When I was young, my mother decided to sell our television in a garage sale. Cell phones were just being explored and only few had them, so as a child I was forced outside to discover the world around me. However, I grew up in Texas and the summers were unbearable, so outside fun was no fun. My parents bought a family membership to the local neighborhood pool. We would ride our bikes there and spend our days swimming and bleaching our hair in the sun. Our pool was equipped with a high dive and anyone who dared to climb the steps to the platform was courageous. Being afraid of heights, it was quite the accomplishment for me to reach the top. My older brother was on a diving team and so he was always trying to teach me new dives and techniques. He was very persuasive and I was easily swayed to try. At one point he convinced me to hold my ankles, fall backward and open up into a back dive. As he explained the dive, I could envision it in my mind and it didn’t seem too complicated. He assured me that it would be easy and that I just needed to fall back and bring my hands together and glide right into the water. I stood on the high dive as instructed, but I never let go of my legs. As my back hit against the water, I instantly regretted my decision. I hit the water so hard that all the air was knocked out of me. My brother dove in to assist me, but instead of coddling me he said, “Now do it again!” While I never became an Olympic diver, I did try again. Repeatedly trying to improve each time. During the 1988 Olympic Games, I watched Greg Louganis, who was considered one of the greatest divers of all time, rise after hitting his head on the platform during a preliminary dive. After a few stitches, he dove again that same day to qualify for the Olympic round where he would go on to win the gold medal after an incredible dive. Mistakes in life are a guarantee, choosing to rise and try again is an option. As Greg Louganis said, “The pursuit of excellence is not the pursuit of perfection.” It’s important not to let the mistakes of the past rob the future of its success.
When I was young, my mother decided to sell our television in a garage sale. Cell phones were just being explored and only few had them, so as a child I was forced outside to discover the world around me. However, I grew up in Texas and the summers were unbearable, so outside fun was no fun. My parents bought a family membership to the local neighborhood pool. We would ride our bikes there and spend our days swimming and bleaching our hair in the sun. Our pool was equipped with a high dive and anyone who dared to climb the steps to the platform was courageous. Being afraid of heights, it was quite the accomplishment for me to reach the top. My older brother was on a diving team and so he was always trying to teach me new dives and techniques. He was very persuasive and I was easily swayed to try. At one point he convinced me to hold my ankles, fall backward and open up into a back dive. As he explained the dive, I could envision it in my mind and it didn’t seem too complicated. He assured me that it would be easy and that I just needed to fall back and bring my hands together and glide right into the water. I stood on the high dive as instructed, but I never let go of my legs. As my back hit against the water, I instantly regretted my decision. I hit the water so hard that all the air was knocked out of me. My brother dove in to assist me, but instead of coddling me he said, “Now do it again!” While I never became an Olympic diver, I did try again. Repeatedly trying to improve each time. During the 1988 Olympic Games, I watched Greg Louganis, who was considered one of the greatest divers of all time, rise after hitting his head on the platform during a preliminary dive. After a few stitches, he dove again that same day to qualify for the Olympic round where he would go on to win the gold medal after an incredible dive. Mistakes in life are a guarantee, choosing to rise and try again is an option. As Greg Louganis said, “The pursuit of excellence is not the pursuit of perfection.” It’s important not to let the mistakes of the past rob the future of its success.
"The pursuit of excellence is not the pursuit of perfection."