I began lifting weights alone at my local gym, running sprints, and going on crazy diets. I became obsessed with hard work and put more effort into baseball in six months than I had my entire life. By the time I showed up to winter workouts for high school, I had lost nearly sixty pounds, was strong as an ox, and felt amazing. Some of my coaches didn’t even recognize me at first; I was an entirely new person. I was the embodiment of the quote, “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”. Eventually I realized that the biggest enemy I had overcome was myself. I was the one who was lazy and never put in the time to get better. My fear of discomfort had prevented me from finding how skilled I could be at my craft. Challenging myself to get in shape had many other benefits as well: my grades shot skyward, I got better at violin due to more diligent practice, and I also made the Suburban League All-Academic team. Challenging myself to step outside of the norm changed my life. I’ve overcome my own doubts and seen life in a new light. I plan to continue improving my work ethic and getting better at everything I do. I will never forget the year long period where I tested myself and grabbed life by the