Has there ever been a time when you just gave up and accepted the fact that you were going to lose? Often, being optimistic about the result can change the outcome of the match. This is an example of a tennis match where the power of confidence really came to life.
It was a normal, summer day. The cloudless, blue sky shone across the tennis court, sending a bright light into my eyes. Even though the sun was shining, I couldn’t share the same type of enthusiasm. This electrifying match was coming towards the end, but it was not going my way at all. I was down 3-8 in the final tie breaker, and losing two more points would mean losing the match. As the ball flew off my racquet and flew behind the white line, despair clawed my stomach like sharp claws. After working so hard to win the second set and attempt a comeback, this is what happens?
I slowly walked toward the bench in the middle of the court, my mind flooded with increasing negative thoughts. What if this is the start to another losing streak? Is it even possible to win while losing 3-9? I tried to cover these thoughts, but they just kept coming. There seemed to be no way to stop this without putting a cover on top of it. But with what?
As I thought of my flowing emotions pouring in, it felt more like a bucket of water flipped backwards, until it decided to flip upward again. Flipped upward… I thought of this more and decided that the only way to stop something is to give it its opposite. But what could the opposite of my increasing negative emotions be?
I sat down and thought about this question a little deeper. The opposite of negative emotions are positive ones, so does that mean I need positive emotions to counter it? The more I thought of it, the more it made sense. Negative emotions create nervousness, and that makes you fumble under pressure. On the contrary, positive emotions must give you strength to prevail under the same situation! A light bulb finally lit up inside my head. I knew how I would come through this impossible situation. As the tiny glimmers of encouragement bonded together to form bigger ones, new strategies gave me more strength. Suddenly, the ball seemed to change sides. It used to feel like a pain, a chance that I would lose yet another point. But now, it felt like an opportunity. An opportunity to finally create the strength I needed to win this exhilarating match.
I came back with a new weapon: the hope and confidence that made me believe I could do it. The ball seemed to completely change sides. It used to feel like a disappointment, another chance to lose. But with my new power of optimism, it seemed like another exciting chance to win. Gripping my racquet harder, two shots came off and whizzed through my frustrated opponent. The ball landed into the net on the opposite side. Lips trembling, I could see the increasing negativity in his eyes as he slowly made more and more unnecessary mistakes. With his growing errors, two more shots were sent off his racquet and into the net. He sent the ball flying long, creating a sixth point in my favor. Finally, I blasted one more shot past him to level it up to nine all in this invigorating contest.
As I neared the finish line, excitement surged upward through my body, like a heat wave fizzing with energy. Nevertheless, my weapon was still there, gleaming as bright as the sun. The ball flew past the baseline once again, meaning that I would be leading ten to nine. Nevertheless, it was never over until the end. Eyes locking, I saw him rear up to hit the ball. Sudden nervousness surged across my mind, but I quickly covered it up with more optimism. It wasn’t needed. Hands shaking with excitement, my opponent’s second serve sailed slightly long, and this breathtaking match was finally mine.
Looking back at the match, I couldn’t have done any of that without optimism and hope. This truly showed me the power of believing in yourself, which contributed to many of my successes that day. The next time you feel like giving up, remember to have optimism by thinking positively about the situation. This will give you a new kind of weapon that will change the whole outcome.
-Roger S.
The very complex vocabulary presented in this writing I like the way you hook the reader in on the second paragraph after the great first paragraph,”crawled in my stomach like claws.” I think that this is really engaging and fun to read.
ReplyDeleteWhile I read this a bunch of memories flooded into my mind of times where I wanted to win just as much as you did. I love the sentence “I came back with a new weapon; the hope and confidence that made me believe I could do it.¨ Reading this tells me that your mindset has changed, and your positive thoughts overpowered the negative ones. This helped me learn a good lesson, to never give up until it's over.
ReplyDeleteThis story is very relatable. When people are thinking negative thoughts, those people play bad. But the positive thoughts make people play better, “I came back with a new weapon: the hope and confidence that made me believe I could do it.” I feel like this helped put the piece nicely together.
ReplyDeleteI think a certain technique that you used super well in your writing piece was how simple you made it to be engaged with the story. I felt I was super easily engaged with your writing here and as it went on I felt it only got more engaging. A part of this piece that I felt really made it that much more engaging is when you wrote, “I sat down a thought about this question a little deeper. The opposite of negative emotions are positive ones, so does that mean I need positive emotions to counter it?” I felt this part was super engaging because it’s that moment of realization and the complete turn around of the story that really gets you caught. Making your writing engaging is such an important thing to know how to do, and you seem to cover it super well in this piece. Nice job, Roger.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you took the readers along with you through the story because it was engaging. You painted a picture in my mind which kept me focused. “The ball flew past the baseline once again, meaning that I would be leading ten to nine.” I liked how this sentence told you what was happening so that readers would understand. I thought the experience that you went through was helpful for you to take with you, because it taught you optimism. A good lesson to learn from this is that optimism encourages you to be your best self.
ReplyDeleteA central idea in Roger’s personal narrative is optimism as mentioned in the last paragraph. I know this because in the last paragraph Roger said, “The next time you feel like giving up, remember to have optimism by your side. This will give you a new kind of weapon that will change the whole outcome.” I can apply this to my own life when I am playing a game. Whenever I am about to lose I can just think optimistically, and maybe I’ll still have a chance. Roger, your mechanics were awesome because I didn’t find any mistakes in your writing, and so was your sensory language.
ReplyDeleteFrom: Aidan the fort night kid_96
ReplyDeleteI liked how you started the narrative with an example of your topic and theme that hooked the reader in. Another thing I liked about the story was that I could relate to the theme in your introduction when you say, “Often, being optimistic about the result can change the outcome of the match. This is an example of a tennis match where the power of confidence really came to life.” And then you lead the hook into the story. I can relate to this, because even though I don't play tennis I play other sports where you have to be optimistic and fight through the end to win.