I’ve always had this stuck up “I don’t need anything from you or anyone else” attitude. My 8th grade middle school year I played football for the Clearview Clippers. It was my first time playing since I played in a Pee-Wee league when I was a little kid.

I refused to play offensive line, I HATED it with a deep burning passion from the darkest depths of my entire soul. One day in practice I walked off the field refusing to play the position, it all started because I was playing middle linebacker my original starting position and my coach put my back up in and asked me to go play offensive line.

I instantly copped an attitude and lazily and angrily played until my coach yelled at me and I stormed off. I thought going home my parents wouldn’t care, but when my dad found out, he came with me to practice the next day and made me apologize to my coach and promise to make sure it’ll never happen again.

Before this moment occurred he had a conversation with me, he said to me   
“It’s not always about what you want it’s about what the team needs and they need you in that position, you aren’t a fast runner and you are not in as good enough shape as you think you are to play a skill position, Jack.

  I thought to myself, “you know, maybe he’s right. Maybe I need to stop being so selfish”.

I remembered this time before when my teacher told me to use a different formula to solve the problem and I copped an attitude and told her no i’m doing it the way I want and find it easiest, my parents once again made me come in and apologize for doing so. In this moment I realized, I do need help. I don’t know everything, I’m not physically “fit” enough to play any other position. I can’t run a 4.3 40 and nor am I as good as I always thought that I was.

Because I realized this about myself, I stopped giving my coaches attitude when asked to play offensive line, and started listening during practice. I brought a notebook and wrote down every play in film I didn’t do my responsibility, or the play package when I didn’t go to my right gap. I stopped thinking I knew better then my coaches and when in practice, I started busting my butt to be the first one done with everything, and do it the way I was told, not the way I felt was right.