In so many ways, my soccer career taught me about seeing the value of all people, whether or not society sees it first. Relationships with people who are perceived to be 'different' have taught me the same lesson.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing the intrinsic value of all individuals, regardless of societal perceptions.
In this quote, Julie Foudy reflects on how her experiences in soccer have shaped her perspective on human value and relationships. She suggests that everyone has worth, even if society does not readily acknowledge it, and that interactions with those perceived as 'different' can enrich our understanding of this fundamental truth. The emphasis is on empathy and the depth of connections we can form with diverse individuals.
In practice
This quote can be shared during a team-building exercise to highlight the importance of valuing each team member.
I have been involved with U.S. Soccer for 30 years, and I don't remember one senior woman in the organization that you would deal with on a daily basis in a position that was making decisions. That is a huge issue. How many times do you hear, 'There are no women around?' Well, they are fishing in the wrong pond.
It's so valuable to learn that when you put yourself in an uncomfortable situation, you'll be fine, and you'll probably come out even stronger.
If you treat every person you meet as if he or she were the most important person in the world, you'll communicate that he or she is somebody - to you.
When I look at relationships, my own and others, I see a wide range of reasons for people to be together and ways in which they are together. I see ways in which a relationship - which means something that exists between two or more people - for the most part reinforces people's separateness as individual entities.
No matter how much you know a human being, you don't know him enough.
One of the most important lessons to learn about relationships is that it is not another person’s job to make you happy. Your happiness is not someone else’s job. Until you realize this, you will always be dissatisfied with your relationships. Ultimately, your relationship with others mirrors your relationship to happiness.
Children wish fathers looked but with their eyes; fathers that children with their judgment looked; and either may be wrong.
Be honest, brutally honest. That is what's going to maintain relationships.
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