In the game of Basketball, or any sport for that matter, they stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Michael Jordan – Lebron James – Kobe Bryant – Dwayne Wade – Derrick Rose. The great ones are up there for a reason and it’s not always genetics. In fact I would argue that it’s almost never genetics although that may play a small role. Talent? Nope… Sure, talent plays a role but the real secret ingredient shows up again and again in every great athlete in every sport.
Work ethic!
Out of a genuine love for the game they simply out worked everyone else. They are driven to be the best. Every minute, every hour, every day – it never goes away. Even years after retirement they can’t stay away. Magic Johnson at age 37 staged a come back with the Lakers. Michael Jordan at age 48 was inducted into the NBA hall of fame but was noticeably upset because he thought it was too soon. In an interview after the ceremony he stated “Don’t be surprised to look up and see me playing the game at age 50″ not because he missed the fame, fortune or adoring fans. Because he was still driven to be the best at the game he loved.
That burning desire is what leads to the hours in the gym and intense basketball training and workouts. You can’t fake it. You can’t force yourself to practice when your hearts not in it. No one else can force you to put the time in either. And if they do, we all know how it ends. The relentless father that pushes a kid into a sport and drives him to the point where he doesn’t even want to play it anymore so he quits.
The desire has to come from a true love for the game and an inner certainty that nothing will stop you because this is your destiny. Although it can’t be faked or falsely manufactured, true desire can be cultivated and nurtured. Like a tiny seed reaching up to the light, you can keep it alive inside you when things look hopeless. You’re on a losing team. You don’t feel like you’re getting any better. People around you keep saying you’ll never be that good. The great ones quietly keep reaching. Use negative criticism as fuel to work even harder. Giving up isn’t an option because this is the reason you were put on the planet, and you know it. Somehow, somewhere deep inside, despite all the reasons that say otherwise, you keep believing that you can’t fail.
Injuries can’t stop you – Rehab!
Criticism can’t stop you – Prove them wrong!
Circumstances can’t stop you – Overcome them!
Competition can’t stop you? – Out work them!
The only thing that can stop you – IS YOU!!!“In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves…self-discipline with all of them came first.” - Harry S Truman
Victory is sweetest when you’ve known defeat.
Your most valuable asset can be your willingness to persist longer than anyone else. -Brian Tracy
Destiny is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for. It is a thing to be pursued at all costs.
So hold your head up. Then put it down and go to work!
Show respect to your competition. Then go to war!
Keep a little light shinning on that tiny seed of desire and one day you will wake up to find a mighty oak tree.
YOU GOT THIS!
LETS GO!!!
Scott Bias
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