Daryl A. Williams
“A mind is a terrible thing to waste”, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”, and “What the mind can conceive, the mind can achieve”. What is the common theme among all these great quotes?…you got it Mindset! The Oxford Language definition of Mindset is ”the established set of attitudes held by someone”…I would add to the beginning of that definition “Individuals act and behave” according to the established set of attitudes held by someone.
What am I trying to say here? I suggest that to a large extent an individual’s ability to learn new skills and achieve desired goals depends on the mindset of said individual. Wait…wait..I do understand the nature of inequality and the unequal distribution of resources and opportunities in our society. So listen closely…I am not saying it will take the same effort to achieve the same outcomes for individuals, nor am I saying the level you reach after you obtain the same goal as another individual will result in similar accolades. What I am saying is great things can happen for you with the correct mindset.
Take the case of 2 professional basketball players Patrick Beverly and Lebron James. Patrick Beverly is 6ft.1 inches tall, and hails from Chicago public schools. After a stellar high-school career he went to the University of Arkansas where he showed promise but academic misconduct derailed him. Could have quit…didn’t quit. Then he was drafted in the second round of the NBA but mediocre play eventually forced him to played overseas in Ukraine, Greece , and Russia over a 3 and 1/2 year period. Could have quit…didn’t quit. In 2013 he joined the Houston Rockets and has been a solid NBA player since. In Patricks own words it was “either hoop or sell dope”, he chose to hoop.
Now let’s look at Lebron James, an Akron, Ohio basketball prodigy since 12. Gifted with size and speed at 6ft. 8 inches tall, Lebron also came from humble beginnings but was identified as NBA-bound from an early age. On the cover of Sports Illustrated in high school with the title “the chosen one” Lebron was the number one draft pick in the NBA directly out of high school at age 17. Lebron could have rested on those laurels and been another good player in the league. However, Lebron has shown a tireless work ethic and mental toughness that allowed him to win 4 world championships after 9 years of “coming close” and now he has become one of the greatest players in history. Could have quit…didn’t quit.
Both Patrick and LeBron, though blessed with different levels of skill, physical attributes and resources, had a desire to play basketball at the highest level. Their paths were different and I would suggest that Patrick’s road was much more difficult. But the mindset of both of these players was never to give up and prepare for the task with the belief that you can achieve your desired goal, The results for these players are not the same as LeBron is an all-time great and Patrick is a solid NBA contributor but both players compete on the same court and have a job many dream of as members of the best basketball players in the world, Both players achieved their goals because of their mindset.
So what about us individuals not involved in sports…what can we learn from this story? Understand the power of your mindset in anything you do, You must believe you can achieve what it is you are attempting or you will have little chance of achieving it.
“Want to quit…don’t quit”.