Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, By J. K. Rowling

In the book "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling, Albus Dumbledore says "It is our choices Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." I find myself rereading this series often because of all of its hidden lessons and values. I have never been a star athlete, but I discovered a love of tennis when I was a freshman in high school. I learned quickly that in tennis, with the ball going 100 plus miles per hour, there is nobody to judge the validity of your call. The final word stands with the player whose side the ball is on. With this concept of holding yourself accountable, some people have asked me what stops me from making all debatable calls in my favor. I was warned the first day I walked onto the tennis courts that the minute you tarnish your credibility, you may as well have

In the championship round, down 3-2 in the series, I made a questionable call that contributed to me winning the game and later the series. Even though I had dominated my opponent fully in games 6 and 7, I could not help but shake the fact that the one call I had wrongfully made could have been what let him lose. I could not focus on anything else; not the 2 aces, not the 5 baseline smashes, not the corner placements; only that one call. I could not look at the medal I received that day, and to this day it stays wrapped up in my old tennis bag. I realized that it was more important to be fair and just than to win by any means. Tennis is a sport of camaraderie, where everyone supports one another and respects their skill. Being honest is the basis of success, and I did not want to play the game any other way. Although the tournament was irrelevant to the postseason, I made it my goal to try and make up for my wrong doing. Moving forth, any point that I was not positive about, I gave to my opponent. I noticed that I was better respected and that my opponents reciprocated the same just