Working towards your goals and dreams is not always an easy thing, but what helps is a spirit of positivity and perseverance.
We got the opportunity to speak to one of our youths, Noah* about his passion for football and her views on the journey to reach her goals.
Here is his story:
“In Primary school, I participated in football during sports day and realised that I really enjoyed the sport. So I decided to continue exploring this newfound interest by practicing the drills at home.
While practicing football, I came across a video about Christiano Ronaldo and saw how he played and really admired his attitude towards the game, his hardworking nature, and his contributions to his team. He really inspires me to play football because of his skills and work ethic and makes me want to be the best player I can be and one day be part of Singapore’s national team.
I have also gotten my friends to join me in playing football and will teach them how to play. Even though they weren’t so interested at the beginning, they grew to like it more and more. As my friends improved their Football skills, it gave me confidence in my abilities and motivated me even more to work harder to be a better footballer and coach to them.
Through the 3 years that I have been playing football, I went through some demoralising moments too. My parents did not allow me to play football and during the fasting months, I couldn’t play much. When my friends and I lose a match, it can be discouraging too.
When I feel like giving up because I can’t score goals or my focus is off during a match, I will change my mentality. I will tell myself that I can’t give up after all the effort I’ve put into doing well in the match I’m playing. When I’m losing a match badly, or when the opponents are playing unfairly I will still try my best to play.
I believe that there is no talent without hard work. So, I will keep persevering and working hard till I reach my goal of becoming part of Singapore’s national football team. To anyone who has similar dreams and facing similar challenges, I want to encourage you to never give up and try your best in every situation.
Sometimes when you don’t feel like playing that day because of something that happened, try to keep those negative thoughts and feelings out of your mind and focus on the end goal.
Stay positive and keep an open mind!”
As Noah continues to strive towards his goals, we hope that you, our dear reader will be inspired by his belief in himself as well as his perseverance to continue reaching your own goals.
*To protect the identity of our youths, names have been changed.