Similar to a lot of young men in America, it was always a dream of mine to play basketball for a living. Little did I know God had something else in mind for me. A lot of us have had this realization as we enter the adult phase of life.
There are many things that I never knew would be a part of this life as a younger man. I never knew I’d be sitting here at 28, loving life and helping businesses achieve their goals on a daily basis. I never knew I’d be here, enjoying every day, every hour and minute as I scale my company and learn more than I ever even imagined. I never would have thought I’d be traveling the world and would have seen as many things as I have in the last year or two alone. Basketball taught me to take your shot… and boy have I.
Remember, each day is a new shot to take. I know we have all watched a basketball game, or our favorite sport and yelled at the screen or in the stadium when a player turns down a wide open or a shot that we see as “makeable”. We have also hypothetically yelled at the player when they take too many shots as well if they are what we consider ill-advised. For me that person is always JR Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but that is just me. We celebrate the individual who is the happy medium of “just enough good shots”, though that is not always easy to be in real life. You must realize that when you feel like it is a good shot for you, make or miss, it was a good shot.
We all weigh our options before shooting. We look at our surroundings, we see if there are other open teammates or in this case other potential scenarios that may work out best, or we even see if we can step a bit closer and shoot a more “low risk” shot. But like in the game of basketball, soccer, or any sport pretty much, windows of opportunity to shoot your shot close rapidly. You must take the good shot when you can.
Be confident in your ability to make things happen, make opportunities into great experiences and more. This is something to think about when you are thinking about making a life decision or waiting for the right moment. There may not be a right moment to shoot your shot, once you take a step in to shoot from closer there may be a defender in your way. Make sure to take your shots and to be confident in yourself as a competent business person and more importantly as an individual.
These shots include starting a business, investing in yourself or ideas you see as good ones, taking the time to learn more or pursue another degree, and far more. These are shots, these shots are all about timing. It was Wayne Gretzky who said “You miss all the shots you do not take”, and that statement could not be any more true. You live one time, make sure to focus on the things you can control and shoot the shots that you see as good opportunity for growth. Too many people have the story “If I would have…”, that question is answered when shots are taken.
Mom and Dad, I did not become the basketball star I always wanted to be growing up… I still love the game and it has brought me a lot of what I live by today and even some lifelong friends… but for me, MBA sounds close enough.
