I saw this video on the Break Through Basketball site. I love the TED video, but this one may be my favorite yet. It’s quick and to the point, and it makes a great point about what it takes to succeed.
Notice, he makes 8 points:
- Passion
- Hard Work
- Get Good
- Focus
- Push Yourself
- Serve Others Value
- Ideas
- Persist
Not one is talent or god-given ability or genes. Anyone can do all eight things.
These are the common themes that run through this site. To be a great player, you have to love playing (#1). If you don’t love playing, you’re not going to work hard (#2) enough to get good (#3). To get good requires plenty of practice and effort, and the only way to sustain your motivation is if you really love what you are doing. When you practice, you need to focus (#4) on your task; simply practicing without a goal and without concentration is not enough. You have to push yourself (#5) when you get tired or when your friends go to a party or when the coach does not give you enough playing time. You have to develop internal motivation, rather than depending on your mom or your coach to motivate you to practice. To make a team or get recruited, you have to bring value (#6). You have to do something that makes your team better. You need ideas (#7); you need to be able to think the game and understand how to play. Finally, when the weather is hot or the training gets hard, you have to persist (#8). You have to struggle and fight.
If you are willing to do these eight things, you can make your dreams come true. Most players say they are willing to do all eight, but their actions do not back up their words. How much do you love playing basketball and how willing are you to work hard, practice, push yourself, concentrate and persist?
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