Swimming In The Vast Sea Of Fear

New beginnings can be in different forms, such as transferring to a new school, starting a new sports season, or changing a habit. My new beginning happened in the year 2013. My new beginnng was joining a swimmng team. It still surprises me how my choice has affected me, and to this day, I don't regret making that choice.

The year 2013, my parents started talking to me about this certain sports team. This made me really nervous because I've never joined a proper sports team before, but I still wanted to hear what they had to say. They told me that this could help me get into a really good college, and it would also help them pay less for it. Thinking that it would benefit me, my parents and my future, I decided to join the team. What really scared me the most was that I knew that I wasn't good enough to be in the team. I knew that it was one of the top swimming teams in the region, so I ended up thinking that I wasn't really cut out for it. I also felt intimidated because there were a lot of great swimmers in the team, so then I really felt like I didn't fit in at all. It was all really difficult for me to adjust to, especially because I wasn't used to this kind of environment. Once training started, I didn't have anyone to talk to. I was considered the "newbie", I didn't know anyone, and no one knew me. I did have a few schoolmates though, and after a few weeks of joining the team, we had already started interacting. That being said, my teammates from different schools also started talking to me, which was really nice because I tend to get really awkward when meeting new people.

Several training sessions and hangouts later, I can already say that I have improved myself immensely, compared to when I first joined the team. The team is now a huge part of my life. My teammates continue to believe in me, even when I don't believe in myself, they always do. My coach always pushes me to do my best and he never fails to inspire me everyday. The most important lesson that I've learned in my new beginning is that all new things are always tough at first, but once you get the hang of it, you'll realize that your new beginning can be the start of something really amazing. You just have to know which ones are worth being scared for. I am sure that mine was, and even though it still scares me, it still is worth it.

— Sipon_NarrativeA1