For the majority of my life, I had never suffered a major injury such as broken bone, torn muscle, or similar injuries. The thought of getting such injuries always nestled itself in my mind anytime I was doing physical activities. This caused a great sense of fear of the pain that could realistically happen at any time. However, this all changed at the beginning of my high school wrestling career. These injuries and their recovery are the biggest challenges I have faced. Small bumps or bruises and even pulled muscles were nothing to worry about. The pure physicality of the sport guaranteed that something was always hurting. If someone was hurt, they would be taken to the athletic trainer and typically be back the next day. It became quickly apparent that it was not acceptable to complain about non-serious injuries since many of us were “toughing it out” anyway. It is important to clarify this is only the case for minor injuries, not ones that put the wrestler in danger. This environment made me take in the perspectives of those around me, which in turn allowed me to continue and become used to the grit required. After adjusting to the toughness that was required of me, I became somewhat prone to injuries on the more serious side of the spectrum. These included torn intercostals, torn MCL, a double sprained ankle, and a broken rib. These injuries were spread out in my last 3 years of high school with at least one per season. The pain itself was not unbearable, especially after a few days. The challenging part was coping with the fact that you are not allowed certain physical activities, and watching those around you progress while you cannot. These injuries often put me out of the sport for months at a time, meaning that I would be falling behind while also losing my physical progress. Unfortunately, all of the mentioned injuries have little to no rehab available that will improve recovery. This means that the only option I had to recover was to sit back and wait. When it was finally time to return to the mat, I was always both scared and excited. The fear was from knowing that I would be terribly out of shape and extremely out of practice; however, with each injury, it became easier to face head-on. The lesson these injuries have taught me is that sometimes one has no choice but to push forward. Despite the lost progress, the torment of waiting, and dread, I had to work even harder to come back and seek the results I wanted. To finish my wrestling career, I was able to become a state qualifier and exerted every ounce of effort I had left. I learned to accept that some things are completely out of my control, and it is my own decision of whether or not to continue. While the pain and torment from my injuries are not ideal, they taught me these valuable lessons.