Built Through Motion

From participating in the badminton team and soccer team in my high school to trying outdoor activities like surfing, paddle boarding, and snowboarding, to starting to do CrossFit this summer, I’ve always enjoyed trying new kinds of movements. Although each activity challenges me in different ways, they teach me to stay patient and persistent. Over time, I’ve learned not just to handle frustration with a positive mindset, but to recover from it quickly by keeping pushing forward instead of letting failure define me.

Resilience and Adaptability Learned Through Sports

In badminton, there were times in badminton matches when I was far behind, with my opponent just a few points from victory. In such situations, I always kept trying my best and stayed fully present in every rally instead of giving up. It wasn’t just about winning anymore, but about maintaining a positive attitude.

In CrossFit training, there were times the workouts were so intense that I was too exhausted to move. Still, I was determined to finish and learned to take a moment to recover during breaks. Those experiences taught me that the value of perseverance and completion- finishing what I start even when it feels impossible is important. In snowboarding, there were countless  times I fell while learning. Each fall was painful, but left me with growth and confidence.  Eventually, I realized that falling was not a failure but a necessary part of progress. Every time I get back up, I gain a deeper understanding of what resilience truly means: growing from failure.

Applying Resilience Beyond Sports

Other than sports, I apply this ability in my daily life and academics. For example, in the economics research project for Econometrics in my sophomore year, I was originally researching the correlation between Music festivals in China and local economies. However, I failed to find suitable data after weeks of work.

Instead of feeling defeated, I talked with my professor and decided to change my topic to Impact of Educational Quality on Women’s Income Disparities Across Countries. Such change enables me to rebuild my models and generates more comprehensive and feasible research. The mindset and quality I learnt in sports improved my adaptability and made me be open to changes while maintaining a composed attitude in the process.