This is going to sound weird, but I learned not to quit by quitting. I learned a very valuable lesson early in life (well in high school, I hope that is still early) about not quitting or giving up. I learned not to pursue the short term glory by sacrificing long term happiness. 

Let me explain; I have always been a big person even in middle school, so it came as no surprise when the football coaches asked me to play in their teams. I played football in high school and I loved it. Surprisingly I even liked what we called “hell week”- a couple of weeks in the summer where we practiced, ran, and did drills from sunup to sundown. We only went home to sleep and then got up early at 6 am the next day to get back to school and start all over again. This was the time when most players leveled up. We didn’t know it at the time, but this is when we would become stronger, faster, and were able to learn the plays better. 

I was from an immigrant family with small financial means. This meant that my parents could not afford to give us an allowance. This also meant that I had to be careful with the little money I could earn mowing lawns and helping my dad once in a while with his newly started plumbing business. Most importantly, it meant that I did not have money to take girls on dates!! 

We had a couple of retired NFL players for our coaches. Our offensive coach was particularly a hard ass (at least he came across that way to me). At the end of hell week from my junior year going into my senior year, he was working us hard, he was having us repeat a particular drill over and over until we got it perfect. It was a weekday night and we were still practicing at 7 pm. At that time my teenage brain started to wonder what in the world I was doing when I could be working, earning money, and going on millions of dates with tons of girls. When I messed up the drill on the next round, he started yelling at me. I honestly don’t remember what he said anymore, but that is when I decided I was done with him- screw him! I thought. I quit right there and then. By the next week, I already had a job in a local calling center. I thought I was about to live my best life. 

Well, my happiness was short-lived. I quickly realized I had no time to go on dates because I had to work all the time. I would see my friends practicing and tell myself that this was better for me, I was doing what I wanted to do (or so my hormonal teenage brain was trying to justify). That was until the first game of the season when I saw them get on the field and play- the world came crashing down on me and I remembered how much I loved playing, heck I even loved to practice. I gave it up and for what? I wasn’t even going on dates because I worked so much. The next day I quit my job and begged the football coaches to take me back. To their credit, they did take me back. Even though it had only been a month, two at most, my level was way below everyone else. I tried, but I could not catch up to everyone else. 

My senior year football season was ruined, I let my teammates and friends down -all for what? I gave all of it up for what I thought would bring me happiness and I didn’t even get to do it. This experience taught me a very valuable lesson- NEVER QUIT! To always remember your real goals and never give up on them. To listen to my friends, my real friends and family that care for me. I have taken these lessons and have always applied them to everything I do in life. As my father would always tell me “if the worthwhile things in life were easy, everyone would do them”. Whenever I feel like quitting because things are hard or because I don’t like doing it- I remind myself of my senior year and how I lost so much by quitting something worthwhile. So please NEVER QUIT!