January 2, 2018
So yesterday I posted a clip on FB containing the quote “You have to tap into your own strengths in order to tackle the obstacle at hand. That’s success.” In October of 2016, I presented at TEDx San Diego and I talked about a basketball goal that I had as a kid. I’m referring to the type of basketball goal that is made for the top of closet doors. I would shoot and shoot and shoot, not knowing whether or not the ball would go in, so I took a safety pin and tied the bottom loops of the net together. Now if the ball went through the rim, it would stay inside of the net and not fall through to the ground. I could shoot buzzer beaters and know if my shot attempts were successful. As small as it may seem, that was a huge win for me. That was success. Success can be obtaining your masters, getting a promotion at work, driving off the lot in that new car, or completing your first marathon. I’d say that’s success for sure. However, peal back that view and really get down to the bare minimum. I’m talking about the days when you would throw a ball at the rim that couldn’t be seen, never knowing when it would go inside the rim and through the net, but you figured out a way to overcome. I mean the days of you writing page after page after page, getting that thesis to read just right. You remember the time and effort it took to receive that promotion, or the sacrifices you had to make in order to get your new car, or the discipline and determination that you needed in training for the marathon? Yeah, it was difficult, but within you lies strength, the thing or things that you do well, and you tapped into that power. That’s when success really begins to happen. The masters degree, the promotion, the new car, and the marathon, they’re all successful moments, but you just don’t fall into that glory. Remember that there’s a starting point, and it’s within you. The strengths that lie within you.
