I always had dreams of making it out of “the hood” and becoming a successful athlete.  My dreams started out with becoming a baseball player. I was a 1986 Met’s fan, so in my mind I’d become Daryl Strawberry or Dwight Gooden.  These two baseball stars would soon fall due to their drug use so I had to look somewhere else for inspiration.  I was introduced to the NBA, and as a result, Michael Jordan and Dominique Williams.  Instantly, I fell in love with the game of basketball. I found what I thought would be a new path out of my environment.

If I was going to make it out of “the hood” and bring my family with me, I would have to work tirelessly.  I studied Jordan and Wilkins moves and patterned my game after theirs. Did I mention I was only 5 feet 9 inches tall?  Despite the fact that I was short, and I had a slim chance on making it to the league, I convinced myself that I would get there.   My height meant nothing to me because I tricked myself into thinking I would be able to dunk. At certain point dunking the ball became easy.  If I could dunk the ball I would be able to overcome the obstacle of getting to the league, or so I thought.

In chasing my dream I played one year of college basketball at City College of New York.  I later transferred to Norfolk State University and was only able to try out for the team once, not making it.  I did obtain a college degree, and experienced people and places I may not have if I was dreamless, but my passion died with basketball coming to an end.  Now that the dream of playing on an NBA court was over, what would I do?  I guess it was time to fall back on my backup plan and take a job in information technology.

[bctt tweet=”As a former athlete, how could I channel my competitive drive and place it in other aspects of my life. “]

It has been next to impossible to rekindle a desire to be great at something.  Nothing really inspired me.  I started and maintained a business but didn’t desire to be the next Steve Jobs.  I even ran a marathon in October of 2014.  Finishing the marathon didn’t excite me much.  It wasn’t the same as basketball and I don’t have much desire to run another marathon.  But in the midst of this something happened.  My desire to become great was sparked not by being an athlete or a successful entrepreneur.  My desire was to reach my full spiritual, mental and physical potential and help others do the same.

In an effort to understand how extremely successful people think I’m seeking to get into their minds.  Often, pastors do not make themselves available to have their brains picked, so I’m also looking to those who have success outside of ministry.  What will it take to be great and reach my full potential?  What will I have to sacrifice?  How much work will I have to put in? What will I need to do to push others to become their ultimate selves?   Kobe Bryant answers those questions below in his documentary entitled, Kobe Bryant’s Muse.