The leading cause of quitting is stress. Stress is a common emotion in the sports world, and kids suffer from it because they are afraid to fail. 

 

Nothing comes easy in life and you need to be willing to work hard and deal with any difficulties that come your way. Perseverance isn’t just the ability to overcome stress, challenges and obstacles, but It’s the ability to accept failure and use it as building blocks for your next challenge.

 

As a hockey goalie I’ve failed many times. My entire career has been nothing but ups and downs. Unfortunately for me, I’ve dealt with more failure than I have success.

 

Crazy as it is to say it, I’m happy I’ve failed. I’m glad I’ve struggled at a young age because it will shape me into a better person, a better character and a better athlete. As many times as I wanted to give up and no matter how much I wanted to quit, I stuck with it and believe eventually it will all pay off.

 

My parents were a big influence on my perseverance. They were always there to support me when I was down and have always believed in my ability to succeed.

 

Around this time last year, I found out that I didn’t make the roster to represent Team Newfoundland at the Canada Games. Of course I was bothered by this loss because it could have been a great learning experience and a great chance to be seen in the hockey world. I was very upset.

 

But that night, I got a text from my mom. She said, “Forget what you didn’t win. Use how it makes you feel as motivation to succeed at your next goal. Take what you learned from that experience and add it to your personal foundation. Every loss, every failure and every challenge only makes your foundation stronger. The stronger the foundation, the more there is to build off of. The more there is to build from, the better and stronger your character will be. The stronger your character, the more success you’ll have.”

 

This text message changed my perception on failing and losing. Instead of thinking, “What if I give up a goal? What if I make a bad play? What if I lose? What if I fail?” think of all the possible learning experiences.

 

Don’t give up. Persevere in everything, your studies, your athletics, and persevere to be the best person possible.