Last year leading up to the NBA draft, pretty much everyone in the world knew that Zion Williamson would be the #1 overall pick. It had been a foregone conclusion since the start of the college basketball season (exploding shoe situation aside). Essentially, all he had to do was play games and stay healthy and he was a lock to become a multi-millionaire and be headed to the NBA. The only mystery left to the situation was which team would wind up with the #1 pick.
Another story for a talented athlete didn't turn out so well (athletically speaking). Inky Johnson (if you haven't heard of him, look him up as soon as you finish this article) had overcome numerous obstacles in his life to become a standout defensive back at the University of Tennessee. Heading into his final season, his coaches received a letter projecting him to be a 1st round pick in the NFL. Like Zion, this would make him a professional athlete on the greatest stage and a multi-millionaire. All he had to do was play his final 10 games and stay healthy. However, his football career was cut short by a life-threatening injury.
Each of these players, with one season to go, had been given the same promise - "You're going to make it!" They had the talent and skills to be among the best athletes in the world. And people around them were reminding them of the 'promise' - you're going to make it. The only thing that remained for both players was to complete the process.
Maybe you're like me and the closest you ever came to a college scholarship was a coach asking you if you'd want to consider walking on. In full disclosure, I believe the only reason he asked me this was because I was wearing a state championship t-shirt from Union so he assumed I had to know a little bit about football.
Maybe you're a coach working your way up the ranks toward becoming a head coach one day. Or maybe you're an assistant teacher with dreams of becoming an administrator. Maybe you work in a manufacturing or some other industry with goals of making it to upper management. Maybe you're even on the brink of success and you've been given the title of 'Head Coach in Waiting.' Maybe it's a family business and you've been being groomed for this role your whole life. It may even be a career path you stumbled into and others have told you that one day you'll be an industry leader or innovator.
Someone telling you that, or even planning for it does not guarantee that it will happen. Listen to me, that's the title line - the promise does not eliminate the process. One writer put it this way - "The prophecy doesn't eliminate the work." Its great, vital really, to have a plan. But you still have to execute it. You still have to believe in it. At the end of the day, the only person who is going to be 100% responsible for your success is YOU.
Don't let the promise or destination make you comfortable. I can punch in a location on GPS and it will tell me how to get there and how long it should take, but it doesn't eliminate the drive. I still have to put in the work, the time, and the energy. And even with that, there's still the possiblity for unexpected detours and delays.
Know where you're going. Be willing to work for it. And remember that a roadblock is only a detour, not a dead end.
Another story for a talented athlete didn't turn out so well (athletically speaking). Inky Johnson (if you haven't heard of him, look him up as soon as you finish this article) had overcome numerous obstacles in his life to become a standout defensive back at the University of Tennessee. Heading into his final season, his coaches received a letter projecting him to be a 1st round pick in the NFL. Like Zion, this would make him a professional athlete on the greatest stage and a multi-millionaire. All he had to do was play his final 10 games and stay healthy. However, his football career was cut short by a life-threatening injury.
Each of these players, with one season to go, had been given the same promise - "You're going to make it!" They had the talent and skills to be among the best athletes in the world. And people around them were reminding them of the 'promise' - you're going to make it. The only thing that remained for both players was to complete the process.
Maybe you're like me and the closest you ever came to a college scholarship was a coach asking you if you'd want to consider walking on. In full disclosure, I believe the only reason he asked me this was because I was wearing a state championship t-shirt from Union so he assumed I had to know a little bit about football.
Maybe you're a coach working your way up the ranks toward becoming a head coach one day. Or maybe you're an assistant teacher with dreams of becoming an administrator. Maybe you work in a manufacturing or some other industry with goals of making it to upper management. Maybe you're even on the brink of success and you've been given the title of 'Head Coach in Waiting.' Maybe it's a family business and you've been being groomed for this role your whole life. It may even be a career path you stumbled into and others have told you that one day you'll be an industry leader or innovator.
Someone telling you that, or even planning for it does not guarantee that it will happen. Listen to me, that's the title line - the promise does not eliminate the process. One writer put it this way - "The prophecy doesn't eliminate the work." Its great, vital really, to have a plan. But you still have to execute it. You still have to believe in it. At the end of the day, the only person who is going to be 100% responsible for your success is YOU.
Don't let the promise or destination make you comfortable. I can punch in a location on GPS and it will tell me how to get there and how long it should take, but it doesn't eliminate the drive. I still have to put in the work, the time, and the energy. And even with that, there's still the possiblity for unexpected detours and delays.
Know where you're going. Be willing to work for it. And remember that a roadblock is only a detour, not a dead end.
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