Knowing When to Walk Away

I thought I was disappointing everyone and that they would hate me. However, that wasn't the case. This is about a time where I had a change of heart about a sport. It's about how and when I realized I had to step away from something I cared about. I loved Track & Field so much. It made me happy and it pushed me to be better at what I do. The people there challenged me and I made some good friends from this sport. I realized I needed a change of direction when I wasn't comfortable being on the track anymore. I wasn't able to put in my best efforts, and my self esteem was low anytime I was around that environment. Going to practice felt more like work or something mandatory rather than something I enjoyed doing. It made me feel low. Something in particular that made me realize it was time for a change was when I simply wasn't looking forward to going to practice or even meets. That is when something in me clicked that I had to leave. The sport was bringing me more stress than excitement. Something that I loved was now dragging me down. I thought about it a lot and even talked to some people to help me. At the end of the day, it was up to me. So I left. I thought I would be letting everyone down, even myself. I thought I let myself down because I didn't think I would ever leave a sport that I was so excited about months and even weeks ago. What actually happened was that everyone was cool. Some people knew why, and others chose to just be understanding that I left. The best part of it all was that I was feeling so much better. My self esteem was higher and I was able to put more effort into other things that needed it. During that change, something I learned about myself was that I don't have to keep doing something because I love it. If it makes me feel negatively, it is okay to move on and even come back later. I learned that I am stronger than I assume myself to be. Something I learned about myself is that I am the only one who can make the change that will help me be better and I have more courage than I tell myself.