"Grind Time" By Salman A.

     When i was younger i used to be the only one home with my babysitter. The only thing i wanted to do when i was alone was watch tv, but i didnt no how to change the channels. Thus, whenever i turned on the tv the only channel would be playing was ESPN’s Basketball Classics. I was really intrigued by the the intensity of how the basketball players played. The way they emphatically complained when they missed simple shots always amused me. I would go hours and hours watching basketball and soon enough when i went to Toys R i begged for my parents to buy me a Fisher Price junior basketball set. My parents eventually did buy me that and that's when the dream of becoming an NBA player began. Every Day for almost every hour, i would bounce my mini basketball around the house imitating the intensity of how the players on tv dribbled the ball. My mother would scream at me as i would just bounce the ball around the house breaking anything in my site, but my inner five year old self knew the ball was going to take me places.

      I would go to my neighborhood park and practice playing basketball with my elementary peers. I felt that everything i had watched on tv was starting to become a reality. A Lot of years passed and i found myself in high school. I finally got a pass to 24 Hour Fitness and i was really jovial about getting to play basketball their. I remember stepping on the court and seeing the all the men playing basketball. I thought to myself, wow these guys all have beards and tattoos, and i'm just a mere kid. I felt worried and almost didn't want to play, but i got trapped when someone picked me on their team. As we played everything that i had imagined would happen did not happen. I air balled my first shot and i lost the ball as soon as someone passed it to me. Every Time I ran back and forth across the court, i felt as if my confidence was depleting, and it almost felt as if i had never played basketball. I remember hearing what one of my teammates had to say about me. “Man this guy ****** sucks!” As soon as the game was over i sat on the bench and waited for a whole hour. No one gave me another chance to play again that day.

      I laid on my bed and tried to think what went wrong. I turned on the TV and found myself to ironically turn to ESPN’s Basketball Classics. This time the whole segment was based on Kobe Bryant. I watched the tapes and studied vigorously how Kobe Bryant, a 17 year old at the time, was competing against veterans. This was then followed by an interview, in which Kobe was asked the same question that i had. “Kobe how is a kid like you who just came out of high school able to step on the court and play against people who have been in the league for more than 10 years.?” And with no emotion, Kobe simply replied, “Because I'm the best.” I felt as if everything i had been taught was a lie. How could a simple self assertion make one feel so astronomical? I realized that it must’ve worked because look how far it got Kobe. Thus i started to use that assertion in my everyday life. I used it at school and most importantly when i played basketball.

      The next time i stepped on the basketball court at 24 Hour Fitness, i felt different. I kept on repeating in my mind how i was the best and nobody in the world is better than me. When i got the chance to play i made sure that i was going to make this remarkable. As i got the ball i stared in my defender’s eyes and shot the ball from so far. And thank God the shot went. I continued to play at an optimum rate and was doing all the moves that i had studied when i was younger. And because i was playing so good, i ended up staying at the gym later than usual because everyone wanted to play with me. Even the same people who used to say i would never be good, were in shock

     Confidence is everything. With self confidence you can achieve anything. There will always be people who will tell you how you can do this or that, but they're wrong because only you know what you achieve. As high schoolers, we face many stressful situations. But, Just remember to instill confidence because you can do anything you set your mind to!