Grace White is a college senior who plays first base for Union University, a DII school in Jackson, Tennessee, and is majoring in Journalism. She is the Sports Editor for the Cardinal & Cream, the school’s student publication, and has a younger sister who plays in the Virginia Unity club organization.
In today’s Inside Pitch, Grace looks back at last year and the good things that happened and is now is looking forward to 2023 and focusing three key habits she looks to build upon in the new year.
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2022 was a great year.
Sure, it had its hardships, but mostly, it was a year full of major blessings.
I met my boyfriend. I was beginning to wonder if God had somebody out there for me, and then there he was! Life was pretty good on my own, but having somebody who wants to walk through it by your side makes it so much better.
I turned 21, the age that so many of us look forward to… but I don’t feel any different.
In fact, when I’m talking to the freshmen on Union’s softball team, I forget sometimes that I’m about three years older than them. However, it is pretty cool to say that I’m there, and I’m beyond blessed that God still has a plan for me.
I got the opportunity to write for Extra Inning Softball. It came out of nowhere, but I’m so glad it did. I’m grateful for the chance to do what I love on a platform that everyone can see, especially those that are in the softball family.
My sisters made me so proud.
- My littlest sister Abigail is a freshman in high school, which doesn’t even seem possible, but she has done so well in school and has been tough as nails in her transition to high school basketball.
- My middle sister Esther committed to play softball at the University of Georgia, something that she has been working toward since she was little.
I’ve found that as I get older, time moves faster. It feels like yesterday that we were talking about transitioning into 2022, and here it is, already 2023.
One word that I would associate with the coming of a new year is resolution, which means “a firm decision to do or not to do something.”
The thinking is that a new year brings a fresh start, so you get the chance to resolve to do things differently or to try new things. Instead of calling them resolutions, some people may use the word goals.
Personally, I’ve found that goals I make for myself for the New Year are hard to follow through with.
I saw a tweet from Adrian Conway, the five-time CrossFit Games athlete and performance and lifestyle coach. He posted:
Habits > Goals.
What are some habits you hope to apply in 2023?
— Adrian Conway (@AdrianConway_) December 28, 2022
The thing that stood out to me about that tweet was the word habit. The Google dictionary defines habit as “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.”
Goals are great to have because they help us to see what we’re working towards. Without goals in mind, we would be moving in a somewhat unknown direction. However, in the days following your decision to create a goal, the initial excitement can fade.
Instead of thinking about it a couple of times a day, you may start remembering it once a day or maybe even not at all.
This is where the idea of habits comes in. It’s hard to let go of something that you do on a daily basis or something that is part of your routine, meaning we should try to find ways to make our goals an integral part of our lives and do them continually until they become habit, so that they will be “hard to give up.”
I want to list three habits I hope to build throughout the year 2023.
- I want to deepen my relationship with God. Oftentimes, I struggle with the idea of religion vs. relationship. Even though, I know it’s not true, in my mind, I feel that I have to pray a certain way or say things a certain way when that’s not what He is looking for at all. God wants to have meaningful, intentional relationships with us, and the only requirements are believing in Him and trusting Him to save us from our sins and to become Lord of our lives. I want to rediscover the joy in those truths.
- I want to find joy in every opportunity that is presented to me. This applies specifically to my final season of collegiate softball. I don’t want this to be a season full of doubt and disappointment. Instead, I want to make the most of every chance I get and be able to say that no matter the outcome I tried my absolute dead-level best.
- I want to love hard every day. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over my twenty-one years, it’s that life doesn’t last forever. You never know when you might have said “I love you” to someone for the last time. I don’t want to take any time that I have with my loved ones for granted, and I don’t want any of them to have a doubt in their minds that I love them with everything I’ve got.
These are the habits that I want to have in the New Year. We would love to hear about some of y’alls!
Email yours to info@extrainningsoftball.com.
— Grace White, contributor to Extra Inning Softball
