Permanent link for Journey to Loving Myself on February 16, 2026

My name is Evelyn Park, and I play golf on the Women’s Team here at GVSU. I am a junior and I am majoring in Biomedical Sciences. Today, I wanted to share my ongoing journey to loving myself.

I was never an athlete. I was just a kid who liked the stillness out on the course, a date with my dad that I love, and the electric feeling in my body when I hit a pure shot. Golf always gave me puzzles to solve; it always took time but the satisfaction from the achievements felt like a drug. As I began to grow older and played in big tournaments, I started to focus on numbers. It was no longer about myself when I played; the scores determined my success and my potential. Naturally I started spending more time at practice, always perfecting my swing and never feeding my confidence. By the time of high school graduation, I became a player who was afraid of the results of my swing before even stepping in to play.

My discipline turned into self-punishment as time went by. I was not grinding, I was not growing, and I was not pushing because I wanted to see myself improve. It was because I hated the current version of myself and I would do anything to stop hating myself. It was a fact that was hard to accept. I pushed my limits every day, but doing it from a place of hatred, shame, or comparison, rotted me from inside out. It brought me nothing but misery and ended up on the hospital bed at the ER.

But when I chose self-improvement and discipline from a place of Love, not from a place of “I need to be better”, “I need to do this”, “I need to be the best”, It did not just make the grind worth it. It made it bearable. Love will give purpose to the pain that you are putting yourself through. Like love says “I am not doing this because I hate who I am. I am pushing because I love the person I am becoming”. “I get to play this sport that makes me happy”.

It took me a long time to realize that it’s not about competing against others. I am competing with my self-doubt, my procrastination, my comfort zone, my distractions, my impatience, my bad habits, my perfectionism, my excuses, my fear of failure and judgements from people that I cannot control.

My love, you do not need to break yourself. All your efforts made with love will naturally plant the seeds that bloom over time. Once you know you did what it takes to be the one, all you need is the courage to put yourself out there and enjoy every single second. Today, I am so lucky to have my teammates and the coaches supporting me by my side. They bring me the opportunity to lead myself to success every day and open up doors for me. When in doubt, they remind me what kind of athlete, person, and a friend I am. So, this is my reminder for you to find your love for yourself.

Dear athletes, I hope you take your first step to find your true happiness.

Evelyn Park,

W Golf Team

Posted on Permanent link for Journey to Loving Myself on February 16, 2026.