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As a young athlete, so much of your identity gets wrapped up in your sport. Your wins define you. Your losses haunt you. And your mistakes? Let’s be honest, some adults will try to crucify you for them. Being an athlete is part of your story, but it’s not the whole thing.

As teenagers, we encounter numerous challenges that can swiftly transform our lives. Whether it’s something small like cutting in the lunch line or a critical six minutes of a wrestling match, one moment, everything feels normal, and the next, your whole perspective shifts. It can change how you view your school, your principals, and even the once-trusted adults around you. Sometimes, all it takes is one action, one choice, for a heavyweight to settle in. And that weight can make you feel judged, misunderstood, and even ashamed. The hardest part is realizing I’m not perfect; I will never be. But I also know this: I serve a God who gives me grace every single day. He doesn’t excuse my mistakes, but He offers me the chance to grow from them again and again.

If I could sit down with my freshman self, there’s a lot I’d say, but I’d start with this: read Shaken by Tim Tebow. That book could’ve saved me many inner battles and helped me discover something far more important than wins, losses, and even my failures and identity. That’s why Shaken by Tim Tebow struck me. In his book, Tebow shares what it’s like to be at the top and still feel lost. To be praised one day and doubted the next. To be judged by strangers and people you thought were rooting for you. And yet, through it all, he holds on to one thing: his identity in Christ. Reading Shaken reminded me that my worth doesn’t come from titles, trophies, or who’s cheering. It comes from who I am when everything is stripped away. And who I am is someone who is still growing, learning, and has a purpose.

To anyone reading this, especially younger athletes, I want you to know:
● You will mess up. That’s okay. Learn from it; don’t let it define you.
● You will be misunderstood. Keep showing up anyway.
● People will judge you. But God still sees your heart.
● But you are still more than an athlete.

The truth is I’m not perfect, and I never will be. None of us are. You are a whole person, valuable even when you’re not winning, worthy of grace even when you fall short, and able to always get back up and grow stronger not just in your sport but also in your faith and mindset. So, take the pressure off perfection. Own your mistakes. Remember that your identity is not in what you do but in who you are.