Shoot Your Shot Read online

  In the summer of 2014, Livingston signed a $16.3 million deal to play with the Golden State Warriors and became a critical piece of the Warriors regular rotation during the 2014-2015 season, helping the team win the 2015 NBA championship. Livingston was also instrumental in helping the Warriors to a 73-9 regular season record in 2016—an NBA record. Lastly, he was once again a critical piece in helping the Warriors win back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.

  What many do not know is that Livingston saw his path back to the NBA and regaining relevancy in the league as being tasks greater than himself. His purpose, in his own words, is to “inspire people to get through hard time and struggle.” He wants people to use his story to “stand up, be strong willed and persevere.”[xii]

  Rough patches in life are inevitable. There will be times where you may feel like things can’t get any worse. You will feel like you want to give up. But if you are at your lowest point, feel somewhat encouraged—that means things can only get better. When you are at the bottom, the only thing left for you to do is to begin your ascent to the top. Never be content with conceding to adversity. No one has ever accomplished anything of great merit without enduring hard times and overcoming obstacles. With God on your side, you can get through anything.

  When you recognize that the trajectory of your life is guided by Divine Influence, the setbacks, delays, and adverse situations that occur along the way to realizing your dreams will not seem that significant in the grand scheme of things. You will realize that everything happens for a reason—to put you in a better position for the future.

  You are certainly capable of doing anything you put your mind to and accomplishing the goals you have set for yourself. However, that doesn’t mean it will happen when and exactly how you want it to, and it certainly doesn’t mean that you won’t endure any trials along the way to accomplishing your goals.

  You have two choices when adversity comes your way:

  1) Mope around, feel sorry for yourself, and do nothing

  or

  2) Be proactive and change your circumstances through hard work and affirmative action.

  The only alternatives are to either succumb or overcome. If you choose to succumb to your circumstances, you will never be able to realize the life you want for yourself. You will start a pattern of giving up when times get hard. However, if you choose to overcome your circumstances, you will be better equipped to face hard times in the future and be better prepared to accomplish the things in life you desire to accomplish. You are far stronger than any pain you may endure. For in painfully hard times there are lessons that teach us about ourselves.

  Find the lessons in the journey. It is an amazing and encouraging feat alone, even when the chips are seemingly stacked against you, to continue to fight and push through. You will learn so much about who you are, what you are made of, and subsequently arm yourself with the tools to rise above anything unfavorable that comes your way.

  The seemingly adverse positions you find yourself in are merely opportunities to grow—in faith and in effort. Be faithful knowing that the work you put in will eventually pay off, and if it doesn’t go exactly the way you envisioned it would, trust that God’s plan for you is perfect—and much better than you could ever fathom. Everything happens when and how it’s supposed to happen. Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, everything that happens to you can be used in your favor.

  You cannot predict adversity. And you cannot rush greatness. What you can do is consistently work towards your goal and overcome obstacles along the way until you inevitably get to where you want to be.

  FOURTH

  QUARTER

  10

  Hold That L

  I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

  MICHAEL JORDAN

  6-time NBA champion, 5-time NBA MVP, 14-time NBA All-Star, and a 2009 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee

  Growing up, my twin brother and I used to have 1-on-1 wars. My grandfather built us a makeshift basketball court on a random 10 ft. by 10 ft. slab of concrete outside of his house. The “basket” was made of a long wooden pole from Home Depot, a random piece of plywood for a backboard, and a hoop purchased from Modell’s Sporting Goods. Most of our adolescent summers were spent going at it on that slab of concrete.

  When either of us lost, the loser automatically called for a rematch. No breaks, just “check it back up.” We’d play all day and all night until it got dark or my mom told us it was time to go home or, more often than not, we ended up fighting. Whatever the reason was, neither of us could ever concede to losing. No way he or I was content going home holding an L (loss). The only thing that mattered was winning and being on top at the end of the day.

  In retrospect, when he won more games in our daily series than me, I don’t think I ever evaluated why I lost. I was only concerned with continually playing until I won. Not recognizing that if I actually reflected on what I did to influence the previous L and looked to correct those actions, I’d improve my chances of winning the next game. Instead, I’d just end up losing again.

  This kind of behavior is still applicable in our lives as young and older adults. We fail in a certain capacity and instead of reflecting on the failure and making an attempt to learn from it, we typically just continue to do the same exact things we did before that got us to the unfavorable results.

  There are valuable lessons provided in every L we take. Failure promotes growth. Failure teaches us what it takes to win, and to keep winning. Hence, failure can oftentimes be the best thing to ever happen to us. As long as we appreciate it for what it is—a learning opportunity.

  Hold your L. Appreciate it. Instead of looking at failure as your own personal inability to do something, look at it solely as an opportunity to improve yourself and to learn from your previous missteps. Do not give up on yourself or your dreams because things did not go the way you anticipated they would on your first, second, or even third try. Rather, use those experiences to critically analyze what it was that you did ineffectively then take the necessary steps to correct that behavior. You will become better equipped to handle the challenges you encounter in the future.

  If what you are seeking to accomplish is worthwhile and adds benefit to your life, then it is worth doing badly, until you get it right. Do not let inexperience or the prospect of failure discourage you. Do the work on yourself that is necessary to overcome the obstacles that you were previously hindered by.

  Many times we refuse to accept our failures because of the ego. Naturally, we want to believe everything we are doing is right and the reason we have failed is not because of our own selves, but rather because of someone or something else’s doing. We place the blame on external factors instead of taking ownership of our own stuff. “It can’t be me” is one of the greatest lies ever told and comes directly from that little voice in our heads called the ego. In this life, you can either be a host to God, or a hostage to your ego. Not both. When you make the decision to become a host to God and swallow your pride, let go of your ego, accept your shortcomings, see failure as an opportunity to grow, and dedicate yourself to learning and improving, you will then see positive changes in your life.

  There is always some facet of your life that you can improve upon, so through failure, you get a better idea of what to do and what not to do as you continue to pursue your goals. You learn what your strengths are as well as your weaknesses. Once you identify your strengths and weaknesses, you can then begin to work on improving in the areas you are not particularly strong in.

  Failure is inevitable when you’re attempting to do something extraordinary. Anyone who has ever done anything great has failed at some point. We were not put on this earth to merely subsist and try to “get by” or “just make it.” We were put on this earth to be the greatest represen
tations of ourselves and to get the most out of life that we possibly can.

  Successful completion of a task should always be the goal. However, if you succeed at something 100% of the time and you never stumble, that may be an indication that you are not pushing yourself hard enough. When you play it safe, you are wasting away the God-given talents and opportunities you have been blessed with. Most times the tendency to play it safe is due to one’s fear of failing. But what you have to understand is that failing is a part of life. There is no getting around it. You can try to avoid it at all costs and guess what? You will end up living a life far less than the one you want and the one you truly deserve. So be brave and take the necessary risks. Weather the storms of rejection, hurt, pain, and loss. Fail consistently, yet learn from your past experiences and previous approaches to a specific task. Keep fighting until you accomplish your goals.

  Are you willing to look back on your life and be content with having a goal and wanting to accomplish it, yet you did not pursue it out of the fear of failing? Are you willing to live with yourself knowing that within you there is immense potential that is untapped and just lying dormant? With failure comes experience and growth. Embrace it. What you learn from the L’s you take can serve as a catalyst for helping you get one step closer to attaining everything you want in life.

  Failure is inevitable when you start doing something that is out of your comfort zone or when you pursue an endeavor you have no previous experience or knowledge in. However, it is failure that teaches you the valuable lessons you need to learn in order to get to that next level in life. Through failure you have been given the opportunity to learn and grow. Through learning and growing, comes maturation. When you know better, you do better. Only then will you be able to live the life you are destined to live.

  Every basketball fan is pretty familiar with the dominance of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. Although the Bulls had a stranglehold on the NBA during that decade, what often goes overlooked, and under-appreciated, is the struggle the team endured on the road to winning their first NBA Championship. From 1988 to 1990, the Chicago Bulls were defeated in the playoffs by the eventual Eastern Conference Champions, and NBA Champions in 1989 and 1990—the Detroit Pistons.

  Infamously known as “The Bad Boys” for their physically imposing, defense-oriented style of play, the Pistons employed a strategy against Michael Jordan known as “The Jordan Rules.” The objective of the Jordan Rules was to essentially slow Jordan down offensively by being extra physical with him and forcing him to defer to his lesser talented teammates. Battling mental and physical fatigue, The Bulls were unable to overcome the Piston’s effective strategy and were eliminated from championship contention by the same team, three years in a row.

  In 1991, the Bulls returned to the Eastern Conference Finals once again to face their nemesis, the Detroit Pistons. The team adopted a different offensive scheme this time known as the “triangle offense,” they grew both physically and mentally stronger, Scottie Pippen emerged as a premier player in the league competing alongside Jordan, and other teammates stepped up their level of play as well.

  As a result, the Bulls swept the Pistons in four games and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1991 NBA Finals to win the NBA championship. The Bulls would go on to win a total of 6 NBA Championships from 1991 to 1998. They won the league championship three consecutive years in a row, twice—from 1991 to 1993 and from 1996 to 1998.

  Michael Jordan stated, “The team [Pistons] pushed us to a certain level. I don’t think we would’ve won those six championships without getting over that hump in Detroit.”[xiii] Coming up short numerous times against the Pistons prompted Jordan and the Bulls to learn what they needed to do in order to defeat their greatest adversary and helped them establish themselves as an NBA dynasty.

  You can continue to do the same ineffective things over and over again. If you choose to do so, you should also expect the same results. But if you take the time to learn and grow from your missteps, you will be able to improve your approach to your goals and ultimately realize the life you want for yourself.

  Failure teaches us a great deal about ourselves. It reveals our resiliency in the face of adversity and our ability to persevere when things do not necessarily go in our favor. James 1:4 (NIV) states, “Let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” When you push through setbacks, you are arming yourself with the tools that will improve the likelihood of successfully completing your objectives in the long run.

  Without trials, you are incapable of knowing what you are truly able to accomplish. You are unable to reflect on previous hardships and use them to push you through future experiences. If you were able to overcome failure once, you are able to do it again. And again. And again.

  Use your failures as fuel. Channel those feelings you had during moments of your previous failures to push past whatever stands in the way of you living your best life. Learn to separate what you do, from who you are. You are not a failure, you just happened to momentarily fail. The beautiful thing about failing is that you have the opportunity to reinvent yourself, reevaluate the approach you take to attain your goal, and go at it again. There are no limits on the amount of times you can try to accomplish something. Therefore, do not stop working for what you want until you attain it.

  11

  Know When It’s Time To Hang It Up

  Knowing when to retire is difficult for any athlete or businessperson. You have to give up so much and start another life. But making that decision and sticking to it is one of the most rewarding decisions you will ever make in your life. I encourage people to look at this moment as starting a new season in a different game.

  BILL RUSSELL

  11-time NBA Champion, 15-time NBA MVP, 12-time NBA All-Star, and a 1975 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee

  A question you are probably asking yourself right now after reading the title of this chapter and the opening quote is How can you tell me to let go of something right after you just told me to overcome adversity, hold an L, and embrace failure? Sounds backwards right? Trust me, it isn’t.

  Only when an endeavor has the potential to improve your life, should you continue to pursue it—even if you fail repeatedly at it. If what you are pursuing does nothing to add to your life, but instead only takes away from it, then it is necessary to let it go. Again, remain steadfast in pursuing the things that will bring you happiness and allow you to live your best life. However, let go of the things that are holding you back from the life you are meant to live.

  As humans, we have a habit of remaining in or revisiting situations that no longer serve our best interest but instead bring us more pain than peace. We tend to cling to the things that are holding us back. It is in our nature to want what we want, when we want it. Even if those wants and desires fall outside of God’s much better plan for us. Then we wonder why we can never get to the next phase of our lives. Find the courage to let go of the things you cannot change and leave behind that which no longer adds value to your life.

  Whether “it” is a job, a romantic relationship, a friendship, an academic track, a sport, or any other endeavor, when something does not bring you joy nor do you see consistent improvement in that area—even after putting forth your best effort—then it is time for you to move on. Your sanity and your well-being are not worth sacrificing. The longer you stay in situations that do not bring you happiness, the more likely you are to block the blessings that are waiting for you on the other side of those situations.

  Some NBA players go on to have long, illustrious careers. On the contrary, others have careers that are cut short for a variety of different reasons but mainly due to injuries. When players have nothing else left in the tank to give, when they become mentally, physically, and emotionally fatigued with the grind of the NBA season, when their bodies are no longer able to recover from injuries, or when they realize they have accomplished everything they wanted to dur
ing their careers, they then make the conscious decision to retire and move on with their lives. It is a part of the game.

  Probably one of the most noteworthy examples one can use to illustrate this principle is Brandon Roy.

  Brandon Roy was selected with the 6th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft and was acquired by the Portland Trail Blazers on draft day via a trade. His impact in Portland was immediate. Roy was selected as the Rookie of the Year in his first NBA season, was a reserve on the Western Conference All-Star team in his second season, earned another All-Star selection while placing 9th in MVP voting in his third season, and, at the start of his fourth NBA season, signed a 5-year, max contract. Roy was poised to be an NBA superstar for many years to come. Unfortunately, his playing career was cut short.

  Brandon Roy had been battling chronic knee problems since college and in December 2011, he announced his retirement from basketball. His knees had degenerated so much that he lacked cartilage between the bones in both of his knees. The face of the Trail Blazers franchise who seemed destined to go down as one of the league’s greatest players and whom Kobe Bryant deemed as having “no weaknesses in his game,”[xiv] was leaving the game at the age of 27 and after only five seasons in the NBA.

  Roy did attempt a comeback in 2012, but he only played in 5 games before having season-ending, and ultimately career-ending, surgery on his right knee. After the season ended, he stated (in reference to retiring), “It’s never going to be easy, but it’s a little smoother knowing I gave it a try and now it’s time to move on.”[xv]