Cult of the Amateur

After reading the definition of an Amateur and then doing some thinking i feel that I am a amateur at the sport of Lacrosse.  I know that i play lacrosse because it is something i love and something that i feel has defined my life for the past 22 years.  I defiantly spend time on lacrosse because i love it and also because it is the main reason for my success.  If i did not play lacrosse i do not know if i would be attending UMBC.  Lacrosse absolutely overlaps with my schoolwork because playing a Division 1 sport it is almost exactly like a job and you need to commit yourself to the sport and also you need to commit yourself academically in order to stay eligible and be able to compete at the highest level.  I think that the value of work we do because we love it is completely different than the work we do for pay.  I think that if everyone was getting paid for something they love then there would be no problems at their jobs and they would love going to work everyday.  There are only a select few people who can actually say that they love what they get paid for and they do not regret working there or that being their job.  I think i am motivated by passion when i am competing in something.  I feel like for anyone if you have a competitive edge and you love just competing for something that either you love or that you have set your mind too then it is when it becomes passionate.