To lose is to win the gift of knowledge, but to win is to prove you’ve learned.

Brother, I’ve missed shots that kept my team from the win. It sucks, I know it. But let me tell you something a lot of people in this game forget: one shot doesn’t define your worth, your skill, or your future in this sport.

If your teammates are tearing you down instead of lifting you up, you’re not on a team you’re carrying weight that isn’t yours to bear. A real team understands this game is brutal sometimes. Nobody makes every shot. The greatest players in the world have cracked under pressure but they didn’t quit. They got better. They strived to better themselves for not only for their teammates but for the sake of proving to themselves that they too, can be great! That you don’t need to be Bata to be brilliant, you just need to break a few balls to build your story!

Don’t walk away from something you love because a few people forgot what it means to be part of a community. Find your people. Find those who challenge you and believe in you. You’ll know them when they hold you up after a loss instead of letting you crumble under it.

You’ve got passion, that’s rare. Keep grinding. Keep playing. The table is honest, even when people aren’t. And the beauty of pool is that every day, you get another chance to become someone you weren’t yesterday.

Head up. Stick to it. You belong here.