Listen to Your Heart
Even if it’s as cold as ice
It’s odd to think that my career path was chosen at the age of 8. I didn’t know it at the time but it’s true. I feel as if some people would scoff at the idea that ice hockey made me want to pursue becoming an athletic trainer. But falling in love with the game has made me realize that I’ve fallen in love with everything that comes with it- including the injuries and of course the 5am practices that went on for 4 years.
Ken Bain would probably say that I’m acting upon my pleasure Brain and there is no greater pleasure in my life than participating some way in ice hockey. “The pleasure brain isn’t really a place in your skull but a whole dries of connections that find great joy in life… While others might recoil and even grow jealous in the face of someone else’s achievements, our subjects saw opportunities for growth, and they found the sheer joy of taking up the challenges that other people’s work presented.”
What’s sad in today’s world is that no one is listening to their pleasure brain but instead, are opting for a higher salary. As a college student, I 100% understand why the world is so difficult to live in. But people really are going to college for the money and many people choose careers based on salary instead of their passion.
This all stems from somewhere. I think high school guidance counselors need to recognize and embrace students that have a passion and a drive for a certain subject. These students will want to excel and go the extra mile.
As reported by NBC News: “Only one out of three students who took a recent ACT college assessment test intended to major in a subject that was a good fit for their strengths and preferences, according to the organization that administers the exam.” This was published November of 2013. Just last year. 2/3 of students are not picking majors that are preferences to them.
Christina Haas acknowledges a concept about mentoring in a sociocultural setting and I can relate to this particular idea. “Seeing education as the process of becoming an insider… Eliza’s [or any one else’s] work experience directly supported her education in biology.” Completely immersing myself in my work- hockey in this instance- supports my education in becoming an athletic trainer.
There are so many different concepts that I’m beginning to grasp- even as a college freshman- because I played hockey and went through the injuries. It was a necessary part of the process in my honest opinion. I have firsthand experience with athletic trainers and how athletes should and should not be treated.
It’s one thing to learn from a book but to be mentored in a certain field is much more effective and gratifying. I feel intrinsically motivated when I go to class. Sure I have days where I want to skip classes but to get into the heart of athletic training is something that I’ve always wanted to do. Even my own parents tell me I light up when I talk about wrapping ankles and diagnosing a sprain or a tear. As odd as that may sound, it’s true.
Take some time to really find something you love. Listen to others around you, and take into consideration what high school guidance counselors say. But also take into account what your heart is telling you. Everybody needs to find their own ice hockey. And when you do, make sure it makes you as happy as I am on the ice.
Sources: Haas, C. “Learning to Read Biology: One Student’s Rhetorical Development in College.” Written Communication 11.1 (1994): 43–84. Print.
Bain, Ken. “What the Best College Students Do.” Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University, 2012. Print.
