Frequently, we receive questions about our program’s performance and success, including:
- “Can you tell us the stats of how many members of our organization use your platform?”
- “How do you know that your program works?”
The questions are great. We welcome them!
But, here’s how we know what we’re doing works —> We’re changing lives!
Changing people’s lives is the most valuable metric of our company’s success.
With that being said, please meet U15 St. Louis City SC Academy player Beckett Anderson. Below is an essay that he wrote for school on the impact Dr. Brad Miller, Psy.D. and Soccer Resilience have had on his game and life – ENJOY!
How Soccer Resilience Changed My Game… AND Life!
by Beckett Anderson, U15 St. Louis City SC Academy Player
“I have met a number of people who have given me great advice, but Brad Miller has helped me the most. I met him through my soccer team. On Wednesdays, he gets on a call with the team and gives us advice on how to become stronger mentally. I have changed my approach to setbacks and challenges in my academic and athletic career thanks to Brad.
Taking a setback and turning it into an opportunity is one example of how he has changed my perspective. As an example, I injured my spine near the end of my soccer season, so I missed a big trip and my summer was very limited. I tried my best to look at the upsides of my injury while I was injured, even when it seemed like I would never fully recover. I was much stronger mentally after overcoming the challenge.
‘Not focusing too much on other people’ is another piece of advice Brad gave to me and I try to apply it in everyday situations as well as in soccer. The idea is to not compare yourself to others and to focus on your own path instead of constantly being distracted by others. Whenever we focus on other people, we tend to compare ourselves to them. Many times, you compare yourself to people who are good at the same thing you are. As a result, you may think, “That person is much better than I am.” Or, “I will never be able to accomplish what they do.”
Prior to thinking about this, I would compare myself to others in both my academic and athletic lives. Rather than focusing on what others do well, I now try to concentrate on what I do well. One of the things Brad has said to me in the past that really stuck with me is, “Get good at working through hard things because it does not get easier.” To me, that means pushing yourself to achieve difficult tasks. Learning how to do hard things is a skill anyone can learn, but staying consistent is the hard part. Unless you take on challenges, you can’t become your best self. Every bump in the road shapes you into a better person. In my opinion, the ability to do hard things is one of the most valuable skills in life, because you need it in everything.
I have heard a lot of inspiring quotes from Brad Miller that I can apply to my life. Getting good at hard things was the one that struck me the most. This piece of advice is my favorite because it applies to both my academic and athletic careers. In both my academic and athletic careers, I have changed how I approach setbacks and challenges because of him and Soccer Resilience.”