Hard Work: A Family Legacy of Success, Determination and Strife - Essay Sample

I must admit that I was raised in a family where hard work was a matter of unquestionable importance. My parents and relatives were all convinced that there was no easy way to succeed and that the par excellence of success was to be accompanied by determination, strife and pain. Hard work was to be reflected in all activities and endeavours my siblings and I engaged in right form education, sports (as I had a taste for soccer), and a range of other memorable activities that helped make my childhood worth remembering. However, all this I did to impress my parents and I was good at faking pain, strife and hard work because I had convinced myself that there was an easier way out, a way that would involve less sweat, zero struggle, no strife and little pain and in the end achieve my personal goals and aspirations, becoming a professional soccer player. All this changed when I was disbanded from my soccer team at school.

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Although I had a dissenting belief towards the whole notion of hard work, I could not express my thoughts to my parents and relatives because this would attract punishment from my stern father and later a long counselling session from my compassionate mother. Deep down, I was assertive that my parents were living in the “past” where everything was based on procedure and effort. “Times have changed,” I used to tell myself.

Although I had a strong belief in the existence of an easier and painless way to success, I had recorded dismal performances in almost all performances including in academics and in the field, where I used to play soccer with friends and teammates. Perhaps my whole perception towards the concept of strife and gain changed when a new sports teacher, Mr Oliver, assumed the role of the Games Master and I was dismissed from the school team for being too lazy and skipping training sessions on several accounts. This was a point of realization because soccer was a significant part of my life and being considered incompetent and unfit for the top team utterly broke my heart. After dismissal from the top team, I invested in effort and strife in order to retrieve my lost glory.

Six months after intensive training and my confidence multiplying fivefold, a chance that greatly changed my classmates' perception towards me presented itself. It was an interclass face off and a team of 11 was to represent each class in the tough battle. Since my expulsion from my school team, I had lost the confidence of most of my classmates and their trust too. Most believed that I was still incompetent and not ready to represent my class in this tough contest considering the fact that members of the other classes had continued to display prowess in their training and had tremendously improved their skills under the guidance of Mr Oliver. I was denied a chance. I sought the help of my parents to convince my class teacher to reconsider my position in the game but all were futile efforts because my class teacher had also lost confidence in me and allowing me in the team in would compromise the competence of the team. At this moment, I realized how ignorance could cost one their ambitions.

When the inter classes commenced, I was sidelined from the team, but I was still happy to be part of the audience and learn from the players. In truth, my teammates had greatly improved their soccer skills. Right from dribbling to ball control and speed, all the players displayed an impeccable performance in the field. I hoped a change would emerge so I could represent my class and prove my enhanced skills to the whole school and more so to Mr Oliver so he could reconsider his decision of disbanding me from the school team. My hopes in participating in the game continued to wane as the games approached the finals.

My team managed to manoeuvre its way to the finals and this is where my hopes bore fruit. Most of the players were exhausted because the match schedules were not well spaced and some of them had injuries. It was at this point that the class teacher considered giving me a chance to represent my class. It was a tough game because it was the finals and my team was facing the fiercest team in the school, with half of the team consisting of top players in the school team. A few minutes into the game, our defence had already been impregnated and a goal scored. Within the initial minutes of the second half, I managed to outrun the opponents’ defenders and with excellent ball control and amazing speed, I managed to score a goal. Later on, with a pass from one of my teammates, I scored another one as cheers and screams from my classmates and fans roared in the sky. I was amazed at how my classmates cheered at me and it was a memorable moment for me because I imagined myself as a professional soccer player. Most of all, Mr Oliver accommodated me in the team and was assigned the role of a captain, a coveted position in a school team.

The matchday was an important part of my life as it also realigned my perception towards every endeavour in my final years in my previous school. Right from the match day, I retrieved my honour and grace as a school soccer team member, I got to play for my class in interclass face-offs and for my school at district and higher levels. Mr Oliver was proud of me and so were my parents. From that day, I was dedicated to ensuring I remained in the school team so that I could continue my efforts towards achieving my longstanding ambitions of becoming a super soccer player. I also dedicated a substantial amount of time and effort in my academics in order to balance my education and play.

Day after day, I gradually phased out the idea of finding an easier and painless way to achieve my desired goals from my mind. I came to terms with my parent’s idea of the ultimate path to success, making the right step and investing in hard work. By making effort to enhance my skills and retrieving my lost glory as a member of the school team, I find it amusing that my life during this period was consistent with the philosophy of an old Chinese proverb that advises people to dive for the pears they desire deep in the ocean, for none is found on the seashores.