10 Lessons You Learn When You Grow Up An Athlete

By: Bea Velasco Tan

I was at the gym the other day and a stranger asked me what I do. And the simplest answer I knew to give him was “I play volleyball.” For a simple question, it can be difficult to answer. For some reason, when people ask me this particular question, a part of me feels incompetent – as if I’m not doing enough. Maybe it’s the society we’ve come to know or the fact that this global pandemic has held a big part of my identity hostage as most sports have been suspended.

That’s when I realized that while the global situation has put most sports on pause, we do not stop being an athlete just because we’re off season. Athletes are the epitome of what happens when dreaming meets hard work. And to zoom out a bit farther, athletes play a big role nation-building, and this is definitely something to be proud of. From little leagues, to collegiate sports, the ASEAN games, down to the Olympics, sports has the ability to move an entire nation and the whole world.

Volleyball has always been such a great part of my life. Growing up as an athlete made me who I am today and I would not have it another way. It gave me an identity throughout my younger years, gave me access to good education in college, and provided a living for me as I transitioned into adulthood. And because of this, I will forever be indebted to sports. If it weren’t for the game, I wouldn’t have learned these 10 lessons that changed me.

1. Life is simpler when we focus on a goal

When you’re focused on a goal, your attention is 100% dedicated to it, seeing nothing else but your success. Understanding this growing up helped me tremendously. I knew I was committed to becoming the best athlete I could ever be – that was my goal. And with that in mind, it became easier for me to determine which decisions I should say “yes” to. See, choosing something means allocating your time and attention to it. So it either takes you a step closer to your goal, or distracts you from it. It’s the reason why I never really felt like I missed out on anything after all those late night parties I skipped. It never felt like a “sacrifice” to me because it was a distraction. 

I had a goal and I knew that sleeping early, eating right, and saying no to peer pressure, no matter how hard, was all necessary to achieve my goal. My idea of fun was figuring out new ways to become faster, stronger, and jump higher so I can maximize my time playing. The joy of competing and constantly improving is what makes being an athlete rewarding and beautiful. Having that constant goal of becoming better has been my life’s destination.

2.Start easy; start slow.

My coaches love to compare our bodies to diesel engine cars that need to be warmed up before the drive. And as cliche as it may sound, knowing this made starting slow second nature to me.

Whether I play indoor or beach volleyball, I take time to stretch and warm up to make sure I get the most out of the exercise. Warming up helps us gradually increase our heart rate and helps us get enough blood flowing through our muscles. This will help you understand your body better, know where it’s most sore and where it feels good. When you dedicate a few minutes to warm up, you avoid potential setbacks such as muscle cramps or sprains.

Even in business, starting easy and starting slow allows you to “scout your playing field.” It gives you time to gather insights and to prepare yourself. “Warming up” to whatever project or endeavor I come across helps me make wiser decisions, allowing me the chance to see which factors I have control over and what I can do to achieve the best possible outcome.

3. Commit

I have been a volleyball player for over 15 years. That’s more than half of my life! Besides from my relationship with my family, this has got to be my longest toughest relationship to date.

Playing volleyball was never a one-time decision but a constant battle of quitting. As a kid, the pressure of being part of a team and the struggle to be in varsity and making sure I get to train well so I get to play on the weekends was not easy. But it was a decision I’m glad I followed through with. If I could travel back in time, I’d love to embrace my younger self for sticking with it no matter how hard it was. 

Volleyball taught me a strong sense of responsibility and taught me to see it through until the end – no matter how hard. So in any commitment I make, whether personal or business, I’ve learned to never quit and always go back to why I started in the first place. Committing to something is learning to find ways to get past the difficulties instead of walking away.

4. Prioritize

Being a student- athlete, I had to juggle seemingly endless tasks that felt overwhelming, but learning to prioritize my deliverables is what kept me afloat. Because I made it my goal to be the best student-athlete I can be, I made it a point to keep up with my school work and come to practice everyday . 

Being an athlete means having no off-season (even when it is off-season). This meant getting used to training everyday, rain or shine. Our summer vacations consisted of traveling with my team to play in the Regional and National Meets. When I decided to continue playing volleyball in college, everyday training was not an option, it was a top priority. That meant volleyball over everything else.

Movie nights can only happen on days when early morning training gets called off. Because volleyball was the priority, everything else had to adjust to it. Going home to the province to be with the family for the holidays had to be scheduled depending on the volleyball training schedule. 

My love for volleyball helped me differentiate what’s urgent from what’s important. It taught me to make sure I get to allocate time to accomplish them all  throughout the day. I must say, it’s this skill that has been keeping a sense of normalcy in my life under lockdown. It enables me to have some kind of structure throughout my day as if I were preparing for a tournament. As a business owner, this also taught me to carve out time for the things that needed to be done without losing myself in tasks. The key to achieving work-life integration is prioritization.

5. Open-Mindedness

Playing volleyball since I was ten years old gave me the opportunity to meet different people from different backgrounds, cultures and religions. And when you’re used to playing with strangers in tournaments, you inadvertently learn how to accept and respect others.

The volleyball court does not discriminate. Your skin color, your race, your sexual preferences were all set aside in the court and this is a value I’ve kept close to me ever since.

And now that I’m older and in a  better position of influence, I know better than to live with judgement. As human beings, I hope we take it upon us to speak up for the voiceless, and to stand up for those who lack representation. May we create a world where differences in beliefs and preferences take a backseat to respect, understanding, and acceptance of each other.

6. Love of Self

Volleyball is a good representation of life: you win some, you lose some. We will make mistakes, drop balls, miss points, and lose games but they are all part of a never ending process of growth.

Volleyball taught me how to take care of my body not just for myself but for the team that counts on me. It taught me to be selfless and self-preserving at the same time. I understood that if I wanted to be able to help others, I had to have something to give. Most importantly, volleyball taught me forgiveness. True, that some errors are harder to swallow than others but dwelling on your mistakes will not benefit anyone – not you and not your team.

If you want to be better you have to learn to admit to that mistake, own up to it, and move forward. It taught me to forgive myself for the shortcomings I’ve made on and off the court. I have learned to appreciate what I do, accept the things that I cannot control and love every moment in this journey. The more I love myself and prioritize my needs, the more I am able to perform better and help my team.

7. Love of Country

My love for volleyball has evolved from the day we first met. Today, I aim to bring this experience to people all over the Philippines through Beach Volleyball Republic. BVR has allowed myself and many others to play, travel and meet different people while exploring our homeland.

As we travel around the Philippines promoting the sport, my love for my country has grown more magical by the day. After over 50 tournaments organized around the different islands of the Philippines, “mahalin ang sariling atin” has reached a whole new meaning as I get in touch deeper with my roots. 

Having been able to host over a hundred international teams from 17 different countries through BVR, makes me more proud to be Filipino. I cannot love myself if I don’t love where I am from and all that makes me who I am.

8. Resilience

Resilience is what makes a good story. 

It’s what kept our team moving forward when the odds were stacked against us. It’s what made 22,000 people come to watch live and witness our team win the UAAP Season 76 Women’s Volleyball. After being at the bottom ranks, we treated every game as our last. We focused on taking the tournament one game at a time. Ultimately, giving us the edge to win the entire tournament, and making history. 

Years after the championship we’ve won, life still surprises me with endeavors that I never thought I could accomplish. And just as our team did that year, I took every big challenge, broke it down into pieces and took it one day at a time. Volleyball taught me how to be tough especially when times get hard and it always does. But when the going gets tough is exactly when we need to step up and be tougher. 

9. Learning To Adapt

Unlike indoor volleyball, beach volleyball teaches you to work around external elements you cannot control: the wind, the sun, the sand and so much more. Accepting this keeps me ready to adapt to any circumstance. It keeps me on my toes, ready to move forward instead of holding on to the circumstances I wish I had.

Times like these remind me that there are a handful of things within our control, and that’s where our attention should be. Focusing on the things we do not have control over and overthinking them will only leave you dissatisfied and frustrated. Instead, accept, adapt, and move forward.

10. Keeping Balance

Balance is key to proper execution and balance improves when you work on the muscles that keep you stable. Hitting the ball across the net involves so much body movements happening from the proper footwork of taking off, aiming for the ball and jumping all at once. And to execute this properly, balance must be intact.

What started off as a physical lesson to me very soon crawled into my life. I soon learned the importance of intention, of personal space, and of balancing your life. With my business, my personal life, and my career, I see to it, I am able to keep my balance and not neglect some parts of my life in exchange for the others. This also empowers me to take on new challenges, knowing I have the means to keep myself upright after all.