Shakiru has a kind but serious attitude that makes me feel comfortable participating in challenging activities. “The best is what you make it,” he always says. That small, simple sentence can move mountains when used correctly. I try to remember that inspirational quote every time I step on the court to keep my mental focus secure and concentrated. Shakiru’s knowledge is as accurate as Zeus’ thunderbolt. I am confident he is doing everything he can possibly do to continue to help me grow not only as an athlete, but also as an individual.

Shakiru is the premium coach in all of British Columbia and continues to prove his dominance through his students’ successful results at prestigious tournaments. Therefore, he must establish strict discipline if he expects his trainees to become champions. However, some people lose interest in the sport but become pressured to maintain playing from adult authorities. Consequently, they don’t have the same drive as others who choose to be in attendance. This can be described as “you can lead the horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it.” They usually attempt to avoid or delay the exercises by make fraudulent excuses but Shakiru has zero tolerance for those cases. He is very persistent in regards to the success of his students. This is one of Shakiru’s strongest attributes and it allows advancement to come easily.

Off the court, Shakiru’s appealing personality brings positive energy to all around him. His smile can light up a room! Born in Nigeria, his Spanish descent has enhanced my familiarity with the accents of the Spanish speaking cultures. At the international tournaments, I can communicate more swimmingly with the Central American players in attendance. This has been a privilege for me to grow connections with the foreign families and has even resulted in visits to their respected estates.

Shakiru’s love for squash can easily be distinguished through his rich enthusiasm inputted into his training routines. They are always carefully constructed to push students to the absolute limit each lesson. However, upon occasion, Shakiru will present us with what he calls “recovery days.” These days are designed to taper down the training to a slightly lesser level, but still require considerable amounts of energy. Recovery days allow the athlete’s body to compensate for its pain during tough, strenuous sessions by enabling recuperation to occur. The recovery process is something that Shakiru takes very seriously because he understands how vital it is to a competitor’s performance at any point throughout their career.

The intellectual capabilities of Shakiru Matti are endless! His mind is as brilliant as the great Athena herself. Day in and day out, he strives to conduct innovative exercises for his amateurs that are a “cut above the competition.” For Shakiru, it comes naturally. For others, it’s work. This is simply a result of his years of experience in the field. Intelligence is a strong asset in the game of squash and, more specifically, in the occupation of coaching. It ultimately determines how well the coach can deliver to his apprentices. Shakiru can effectively generate assurance to all Canadian squash players that he is the “cutting edge” in squash training today. This kind of title demands respect and can only come from true excellence. His mind has proved, time after time, to be true excellence in its purest form.

Without such an instrumental coach like Shakiru Matti, my life would have led down a different path. Since the moment I met him, my priorities have been changing constantly, triggering new experiences I am privileged to adventure. To ponder about that makes me realize how substantial Shakiru’s role has impacted my life; that there are many occurrences that may have never occurred without him. My squash career would have probably never taken off, and I would have had twenty more hours each week to do what? That is the very question that intrigues me the most! What would I have done instead if I never met Shakiru? Would I still have had the chance to make a varsity sports team in university? If so, what would the sport be? And who would my friends be? These are a few of the millions of questions I would like to have answered but, in reality, no one truly knows the answer to any. It’s like going down a forked road in an unfamiliar area, with no turning back; your decision is your outcome. One will always wonder where the other road might have taken them but the answer lies only with God. I will never know what could have been or what will happen tomorrow. But I do know that Shakiru has had and will continue to have a powerful influence on my life “as the world turns.”

I learned this philosophy from a wise man: Shakiru Matti, my former squash coach, who taught me the right path to follow in life. He always led by the example, setting a plan; following it concretely; and never quitting. On July of 2004, in the club’s locker room he told me I had been training with such passion and courage that he could not comprehend how I managed to train that way; without pursuing a goal. He said he had been waiting for me to mature enough to understand the “3D’s Philosophy of Life”. Shakiru was inspired, talking to me as he had never done before. His message was so convincing, so I listened attentively.

Shakiru began by saying, “Decision is the first and easiest branch. It is when you define your plan; when you state both your goals and the way to reach them”. “Determination”, he explained using a handful of gestures, and narrating anecdotes “is the key I have used to fulfill my life objectives”. Last, he emphasized that the last diamond was the most treasured. “It is the disengaging point from childhood to manhood”, he pointed out. “Discipline is the hardest task you can confront in life, but also the key to it. If you are disciplined, you have your goals in your pocket and it will only be a matter of time before they become part of your life.”

After Shakiru left Guatemala, inheriting me knowledge and a plan for me to be the best player in Guatemala within 4 years, it was my duty to honor him. I went for it with a greater craving than ever before, turning unstoppable during training sessions. My fitness and game towered intensely. Hence, I found the philosophy very rational, and I began using it in my daily life, and projected my future clearer.

I started thinking what I wanted to do in my life, what I wanted to achieve, which places I wanted to reach and the reputation I wanted to have. I had to make a choice; I had to write my decisions down. I knew my English needed improvement for I wanted to study in America since I was ten. This became my prime goal. Next, my mathematics level had to be upraised, given that I wanted to succeed in my economical-related career. Last, I was already working to be the top squash player in my country –by then, I was only in the top 20.

Discipline made me sacrifice several things I loved to do, such as going to parties with my friends or watching T.V. after coming back from training on weekdays. I chose to save that energy and time, to invest them all in training and studying. For instance, sometimes I am jumping rope on Friday nights while my friends are having fun with girls. Many people have called me crazy, others passionate, but I call it discipline. I am proud of myself for reaching my goals.

Determination is tough; it allows no mediocrity at all. There is no feeling compared to that of working out until you cannot go any further, and let that exertion make your body give in with the force of gravity right in the middle of the squash court, eyes closed with passion, feeling your muscles aching, and your chest about to explode, seeking for air, knowing that you could have not done it better. This is how I have come to claim the top spot in Guatemala, and thus, honoring Shakiru.

Some days are completely different, studying English and Math 5 hours a day. Despite of all those boring moments with passages and useless equations, when all I want to do is be somewhere else, I know that the effort will be worthwhile. I imagine the reward that awaits at the end of the tunnel, and find the strength to stay on.

I have had very frustrating situations in which I considered about leaving the plans. I called Shakiru to let him know about my concerns. He uplifted me, saying, “Mau, if it were that easy, the world would have no differences, we could reach anything just by wishing it. We would all have a great English, Math and Squash level. Do you really want this?” I replied in a harsh tone, “Come on Shakiru, you know perfectly well how much I really want it”. “Then, prove it to the world, not to me. Be brave!” he said imperatively. At that moment silence reigned in the room. I was shocked. It was true; Shakiru knew I wanted to succeed in the world, not only in school or the club. I dislike saying this, but I cried when I found myself attached to the confusing feeling of being limited although I had the talent, the will and the support from my family. Afterwards, I found out that successful people have failed several times in their lives.

During these last five years I have learned extremely much. I have learned to be proud of what I do, keeping my head up; to have the ambition to want something good, visualizing myself grabbing it; to acknowledge that it takes time to learn even the basics; to discover the deepest parts of me, knowing I do not feel threatened by any challenge when I use the philosophy; to know that making good decisions and having the discipline and determination will lead me nowhere but success. I have learned to always ask myself for more, as I know I can make anything if I want.

Today, I have achieved most of the goals I have set; I have failed in the first stages in some others, but those failures made me humble and made me keener and thus, more focused to reach my goals. Today I have a great English level. I speak, write and read it extremely different than in the 2004; mathematics improved, founding a better taste for them, applying them whenever I can; and reaching in December of 2008 the top spot of the country. These experiences will be proudly reminded all my life as successes, and I also know those were just the beginning. Today I am ready to challenge myself with higher goals. I am proud of what I have done so far. All the achievements have been supported by a decision, determination and discipline.