Taken from Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, he spoke about achieving one's childhood dreams and the desire, dedication and commitment we all need in order to achieve our goals. I get deterred very easily but I must keep in mind that If I really wanted to accomplish something, it would be possible, as long as the desire was there. Basketball is so applicable to life because of the on the court and off the court things that take place. Working on your game not only makes you a better player but it teaches you hard work and a plethora of valuable life skills and lessons. When I was at AU's summer program, I remember learning the words "The dream must be stronger than the struggle", which I think cam from Stephen Covey Life is a struggle but only what you make of it and how you respond to it, like Pausch added. Not only basketball but life itself, in every minute that we live, we must reach our goals, never stop believing, never stop trying, live life with courage! Giving up sucks and especially afterwards, when you know you could have given that much more effort and ended up with different results. To add to what Pausch said, "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." Of course, I will be met with disappointment but what I also feel is regret, which is a cliche but true, is that I've not regret things I've done but things that I haven't done. Regret is the worst feeling to me. Failure, I can accept because I learn my lesson but with regret, you don't get a second chance in life which seems fleeting. So, we must measure our desire, how focused we are and committed and passionate we can become, when we want to achieve our dreams and goals. Brick walls stop you only if you let them stop you. Ultimately, they make you better. Much like challenges make you better; your rivals make you better; your opponents make you better. They raise your level of how bad you want it, to win, to succeed, to outdo them, etc. Much like Magic and Larry Bird.
Like MJ said, "I can accept failure but I can't accept not trying." Exactly.
In addition to these brick walls, MJ said, "If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
How badly we want we want things can be demonstrated by our diligence, our desire, our hustle, our commitment, preparation, etc. Dennis Rodman, for ie, though criticized by everyone, always showed heart on the court.
How bad do you truly want it? Are you willing to mentally succumb to the pain, struggle, hardship or will you fight through it and rise to the occasion?
How bad do you want to achieve your dreams? Do you have the will, the desire to grind it out, to fight, to mentally conquer yourself?
I read a good thing once, about mental toughness, in that "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." This ties back to impossible being nothing; if the desire is there, the confidence, the courage, the focus, the sacrifice, the heart, anything is impossible. Brick walls are able to be overcome. We reach our goal.
Don't forget MJ's performance, when he had that game with a stomach virus, during the finals, he played thru it and the BULLS won. That is a fine example of mental toughness and desire. Course, he could have given up but he reached within himself and that his desire to win, to compete was able to conquer the pain he felt. Like they say, the strongest muscle in the human is the MIND and the most devastating weapon is the WILL! Too many words to describe a performance like that. Eminem's Till I Collapse suits the topic beautifully.
Gilbert Arenas also exemplifies defying expectations and tasting success in the NBA. The desire is there, you just need to conquer yourself mentally! Ignore the pain, difficulty, the desire to give up and focus on the goal!
Conquer yourself. Impossible is nothing. How bad do you really want it? Remember, many people desire the same thing but there are only so few who can actually achieve what they want. HOw bad do they want it? The people who don't reach those dreams are those who refuse to work and those who don't want it badly enough. How bad do you want it?
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