You Went Down to the 2nd Team…Now What?

Hello everyone, Hector here…

Yup…that’s me and my dad in the picture. That is what every weekend looked like after finding out I made the B team when I was 7 years old…

The new season is here. Rosters are out, teams are set…and that means that this week, somewhere in Memphis, a kid will start training with the team he didn’t want to make. Maybe that kid is in your house. Maybe that kid is you…

This message is for you, the kid who has been dropped to the 2nd or 3rd team…

I know how it feels. You gave your all; you put in the hours to train and get better, but it was not enough. Yes…it sucks. But I'd like to tell you that it is okay, and that this is actually a good thing that is preparing you for something bigger and better.

I've been on a B team before, just like you. I had to work extremely hard to earn my spot, but eventually, more and more doors opened up for me that made me realize that those "bad" moments were a blessing for my soccer journey…

Here are a few tips to help you overcome what you are feeling right now — or what you went through in the past and it's still there…inside of you:

1. Take ownership

Some time ago I was having a great conversation with Coach Carlos about this. We were chatting about how holding yourself responsible for what happens to you is a liberating act. Yes, you may think the coach that pulled you down made a completely irrational decision…but did he, really? If you can truly raise your hand and say you gave your best, that you performed extremely well in tryouts and had a hell of a season, then maybe you can say that. But even then, you are still responsible for how you let it affect you internally. You may believe there were "politics" involved in the decision, and that creates sadness and stress…but you have total control of your internal state.

At the same time, if you got pulled down, it happened for a reason — and you have the option to let it pull you down or raise you up. It is time to work twice as hard.

2. Life happens for you, not to you

You can see what happens to you in two ways. As something negative, where you complain about everything around you…or with an attitude of empowerment, trusting that everything is unfolding exactly the way it's supposed to, to make you the best person you can be…

"The nature of rain is the same, but it makes thorns grow in the marshes and flowers in the gardens."

I read that quote in a book called Awareness, by Anthony de Mello, and it fits perfectly. Rain will come your way…it is your choice to let it help you grow. Your mindset is everything when "unpleasant" situations show up — like getting dropped to the 2nd team. You have a choice. Trust it, and use that experience to fuel you into working ten times harder…

3. Life is not sunshine and rainbows…sometimes

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows… it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"

— Rocky Balboa

Winners are not winners because they win so much. True winners are the ones who get up and go back at it again…no matter how many times they've fallen. They get hit, reassess, reflect, and get back to work. Then they surpass the previous mountain and climb an even bigger one. Today, I encourage you to be a winner. Yes, it sucks at first — and by the way, that's totally okay! Spend time digging into those feelings…but don't stay there too long. Brush yourself off and get back to it. Every "tough" situation is molding you for life. Imagine how strong you'll be in 5, 10, 20 years after going through many of these and coming back better each time…you'll be unstoppable.

I believe in you, kid. I really do. You are okay…trust me, we've all been there. I promise you this is serving you in the long run.

Keep working. You got this.

Always More,

Hector