Focus & Effort: The Key to Success. And we control both...

I used to play American Football as a Wide Receiver #87 in my youth and the lessons I learned are priceless which I still carry within me and reflect my character.

Football taught me everything about self-discipline and really hard work, how to compete with others but more important yourself, how to lead, follow and to be accountable. In life, if you don't carry your weight, your whole organization can potentially be punished. When I was exhausted and was close to collapse, I figured out how to get through the discomfort. I turned my focus to others and encouraged them. You learn what it means to make an unwavering commitment to something and that there are no shortcuts to win a game.

These experiences are of enormous value, much more than those that you (don't) get at school. Therefore I'd even suggest to integrate such team building and character forging measures into the timetable to give adolescents the chance to unfold themselfs.

The picture below reminds of the magical time back then.