I have been a professional handball player for more than 15 years. I have devoted practically my whole life to handball. It taught me discipline, sacrifice, perseverance and how to push past my own limits. Today, though, I am facing a somewhat different challenge. Alongside handball, I am building my own company, ELURA, an AI video production studio. Over the past nine months I have met a huge number of interesting people, and many doors and business opportunities have opened up that, only a year ago, I never imagined would become part of my everyday life. And I admit it: I love this world. But this is where my biggest inner battle begins. On one hand, I don't want to give up something I have devoted practically my whole life to. On the other, I know that today I am building the future that awaits me after my sports career ends.
Sometimes there is a real game of ping-pong going on in my head. When I focus on the company, I ask myself whether I am still 100 percent committed to handball. Am I resting enough? Am I doing everything I can to be the best version of myself on the court? At the same time, I know a sports career doesn't last forever, and I don't want to let the opportunities opening up for me today slip away. I currently live in Hungary, but most of my business meetings are in Slovenia. That often means training, a two-hour drive to a meeting, and then back again. I believe personal relationships have a special value in business that video calls can never fully replace. That is why good organization is key, from training and meetings to nutrition and recovery.
My biggest challenge, though, is sleep. I want to get up early, but I often finish my day too late. There is always something more to do, another project or a new idea. And this is where I completely disagree with people who say we'll sleep when we're old. Quite the opposite. I have read a lot about the importance of sleep, and I am very aware of how important it is for recovery, health and longevity. I know that with all the physical and mental strain, my body needs about eight hours of quality sleep. I don't want to burn out because of my ambitions, because I believe that sooner or later the body sends us the bill for how we have treated it. And some consequences simply cannot be undone. That is exactly why there is an inner battle here too. On one hand, I know the opportunities opening up for me today won't wait, and I want to make the most of them. On the other, I don't want to put my long-term health at risk for short-term success. In sport, I learned how to force myself to do one more rep. Today I am learning something much harder: how to force myself not to do one more.
I'm not writing this to complain. Quite the opposite. I enjoy both worlds immensely, and I am grateful for every opportunity. But I know that balancing two such demanding paths is not something to take for granted. I have already proven that it can be done; now I am learning how to do it even smarter and for the long run. I still have a few years of my handball career ahead of me, and I want to make the most of them, while continuing to build ELURA and my future. My goal is not to choose between handball and entrepreneurship. My goal is to find a way to be proud of both. And if sport has taught me anything, it is that challenges are not a reason to give up, but a reason to find a solution.