LIFE

 

Who *doesn’t* love the Olympics? The best athletes in the world representing their countries and the sports they love—even just watching it is loads of fun. For professional soccer player Carli Lloyd though, playing soccer in the Olympics was a lifelong dream, a dream that she wasn’t always sure she’d be able to achieve. Carli said, “I thought it was kind of impossible to play at (the professional) level. When I started playing at 5 years old, it was always something I loved and was really, really passionate about. I wanted to play in the World Cup and the Olympics, but I just didn’t believe that I could actually do it.”

What changed for Carli? It was her self-confidence! Carli told us, “I think throughout my career I’ve doubted my abilities and doubted if I could actually do it. What’s been great is that I’ve had my trainer, who’s been my mentor and my go-to person, who’s guided me through on and off the field things and who’s helped me believe in myself. Once I started believing that I could do it is when my career just kind of took off.” Carli says that after the 2012 Olympics and winning the 2015 World Cup, her self-confidence shot through the roof and so did her soccer performance.

She credits soccer with shaping her into the person she is today, but she also doesn't let it get to her head. “It’s one of those things where I never want to take for granted because I’ve had to work extremely hard to get to this point, and I just love it,” Carli says. “I travel the world. I meet different people. I play amongst some of the best players in the world and get to work out for a living, which is awesome.”

Carli doesn’t *just* love soccer though—she also loves helping girls find build their self-esteem through writing about her own struggles with doubts and insecurities. In her book All Heart: My Dedication and Determination to Become One of Soccer's Best, she talks about what it was like to feel different from the other kids in school because of her dream. And she reminds us, “It’s not just a book about soccer. You don’t have to be a soccer fan or know much about soccer. It’s just a book of lots of obstacles and things that have come my way, both on and off the field. Any girl can pick up this book and get some important life lessons out of it.”

Carli’s final words of advice for girls chasing their dreams? “If you work extremely hard and believe in yourself, you can achieve anything you want to achieve. It’s all about confidence and believing in yourself, and I 100% think that that is the biggest thing. There are going to be things that are going to try to throw you off your game and get in the way, but if you continue with that one constant thing of believing in yourself and having the confidence, you can do it.”

It’s your turn to start working toward your dreams! CLICK HERE to snag your own copy of Carli’s newest book.

Share your dream job in the comments below!

Photo credit: Instagram.

by Emily Cavanagh | 1/10/2017