Scientology helped football coach Ferenc Meszaros take control of his temper and his life. His profile is one of 200 “Meet a Scientologist” videos available on the Scientology website at www.scientology.org.

In a video featured on the new Scientology Video Channel at www.scientology.org, Ferenc Meszaros tells how Scientology helped him move his life in the right direction.

“If I hadn’t found Scientology when I did, I don’t think I’d be alive today,” says Meszaros.

After 11 years of pro football (American soccer), in 1993, he was burned out—physically and mentally.

Retiring from football, Meszaros took on managing a well-known pub in his hometown of Pecs in Hungary. But for him there was no personal motivation or purpose in the job.

His whole world had been sports. It was his passion in life—the reason he got up in the morning. It was the only work he had ever done. He was angry, bitter and felt like he’d hit a dead-end.

“Even before that, I was a pretty violent guy,” he says. “I walked around all the time with a chip on my shoulder. I had to be right, whether I was or not. But now it was even worse. I wasn’t happy with who I was and I felt uncomfortable in my own skin.”

“That’s when I learned about Scientology,” Meszaros says. “And it was just in time.”

After enrolling on a course called “The Ups and Downs in Life” at a Church of Scientology Mission, he came to see the vital necessity of having a purpose in life and knowing what it is.

“I saw that even when people work against you or try to sabotage what you are doing, you don’t have to harm them,” says Meszaros. “If you can’t win them over to your side, you have another choice. You can simply walk away.”

Meszaros decided to take control of his life and not let it run him.

“For the first time in my life I was confident that I could make my own decision about what I want to do, and go in the right direction,” he says. “I realized if you aren’t happy about something, it’s up to you to change it.”

And that’s exactly what he did. He quit his job at the pub and started coaching the local football team.

Today, Meszaros, 47, is a changed man.

“I totally cooled down,” he says. “People who knew me 10 or 20 years ago wouldn’t recognize me now. I handle things differently under pressure. Even when it gets really heated in a football game, I can keep my cool. Instead of picking fights, I prefer making people happy.”

Scientology is an integral part of Meszaros’ life. He uses it in his work and he and his wife, also a Scientologist, raised their son, 18, and daughter, 22, with Scientology principles.

“I don’t actually think, ‘Oh, I’m doing Scientology now,’” says Meszaros. “It’s just natural to use what I have learned. And the choices I make are sane.”

“Not too long ago, I was looking in the mirror and I tried to frown—to look like the angry man I used to be,” he says. “I couldn’t do it. I just burst out laughing. I am very optimistic about the future. Life holds endless possibilities for me.”

View his video at Scientology.org.

The popular “Meet a Scientologist” profiles on the Church of Scientology International Video Channel at Scientology.org now total 200 broadcast-quality documentary videos featuring Scientologists from diverse locations and walks of life. The personal stories are told by Scientologists who are educators, teenagers, skydivers, a golf instructor, a hip-hop dancer, IT manager, stunt pilot, mothers, fathers, dentists, photographers, actors, musicians, fashion designers, engineers, students, business owners and more.

A digital pioneer and leader in the online religious community, in April 2008 the Church of Scientology became the first major religion to launch its own official YouTube Video Channel, which has now been viewed by millions of visitors.