Why children don’t play | My Be-A-Sport story by Prisha, 17, Chandigarh

Confidence is a powerful tool that can greatly influence one’s performance in various aspects of life, whether it be in sports, academics, or even everyday tasks. The level of self-belief and self-assurance we possess plays a vital role in how well we perform and overcome challenges. That being said, it is also true that our social environment plays an instrumental role in building confidence. The way people in our surroundings treat us, characterizes our self-image. To show this, I would like to share my personal experience in sports and how my teacher unknowingly helped me build confidence.

As a middle schooler, I was more of a studious child who didn’t take part in physical activities. I disliked sports periods and looked for excuses to skip them. I never thought of myself as someone who could be good in sports and actually play well—someone who makes an impact in the game that catches the audience’s eye. In my mind, this was the reason I never took an active part in sports. But later, I realized that it was my lack of confidence. My physical education teacher only paid attention to those who excelled in sports and did not bother to understand the reasons for non-participation in students like me. I was the last to get picked for any sports team, and my classmates ignored the fact that I was even a part of the team. I always felt left out. This continued until high school.

In high school, I was taught by a new teacher and had new classmates. It was astonishing to see how much this change helped me. The new teacher was compassionate and understanding. Since day one, he has told us that he would not be grading us on our results but on our individual efforts and initiatives. He taught us that our efforts and mindset matter more than our results. It was the first time I did not feel stressed about sports and actually felt capable of playing well. He recognized my efforts and even praised me when I took active initiative. My new classmates were somehow much more accepting and inclusive. They took me in and considered me an equal part of the team. Seeing their faith in me encouraged me to put in extra effort. It boosted my confidence and substantially improved my performance. The simple confidence I built made me so much better that I was even selected for a football competition by my teacher.

By sharing my story, I just wanted to illustrate how confidence really is the key. Don’t underestimate yourself just because others do. That is all the more reason to believe in yourself and show the world how wrong they were. It took me a long time to learn, but I’d be glad if it helped someone else overcome their apprehensions and learn their own potential.

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