The Hero’s Journey is the repeated cycle of stepping out of your comfort zone, facing adversity, challenges, and even failure, and then bouncing back and overcoming those obstacles while transforming into a new, better version of yourself.
Paige Buekers is one of the best basketball players in the country. Over the last year, she has gone through her own hero’s journey. A year ago, she was one of the faces of college basketball, but she faced a devastating injury last season, tearing her ACL.
She is now looking to bounce back and have a great comeback season, and her story is one everyone can learn from and be motivated by.
Nobody wants to go through a major injury like a torn ACL, but pits and obstacles are a part of life. When you experience something devasting like a major injury, you have two ways to respond: is this situation going to make me bitter or better?
Paige said as soon as surgery happened, she knew she wanted to learn from this and take on a different approach and mindset. She learned the importance of taking care of her body, eating well, and getting enough sleep. She said she was the type of athlete to show up to the gym, tie her shoes, jump right on the court, and start playing, but that changed with this injury.
Paige said, “I didn’t like doing all the little things that separate the good from the great. But I want to have a 20-plus year career, and taking care of my body is going to help get me there.”
She also said the mental part is the biggest hurdle coming back from an injury, but she said she worked so hard and changed so much about herself, she has extreme confidence in her path and the path God has for her.
Paige said her confidence is now at an all-time high because of the work she has put in. Of course, she still sometimes second-guesses herself, but that is normal and she fights through it all.
Athletes in every sport can learn a lot from Paige’s journey of coming back from this injury, how she used this pit to help make her better, not bitter, and how she is using her experience to make a positive impact on the world!
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