Mike Glenn, a two-time Academic All-American at Southern Illinois University, an NBA Citizenship Award winner and one of the best shooters in NBA history, gave Atlanta Blackstar his list of characteristics of successful NBA players that any of us can implement off the court to maximize production and potential in life and work. Glenn, who played a decade in the league, is a television analyst for Atlanta Hawks games and the author of My Next Shot Goes In, a book on leadership that is the basis for his thinking on success. Also, for nearly 40 years he has hosted a youth basketball camp for the hearing impaired.
Accept the Challenge
Successful athletes always seek out the challenges that demand the most of their skills and talents. To build a successful life, accept the challenge to become your own head coach, trainer, and cheerleader. It is your privilege and responsibility to create an exceptional life because you are an exceptional person, literally. Oscar Robertson said: “The harder you work to improve your skills, the more you’ll enjoy the process. Even if you never play in organized competition, take pride in the fact that you took up the challenge to make a better player of yourself. It will serve you well in life.”
Focus is the Key
Thought, attention, concentration, focus, meditation are the keys to improvement. Bill Bradley is a former United States Senator, a Rhodes Scholar, a college professor and a New York Knicks forward. As a basketball player, he practiced so much that he developed what he called “a sense of where you are.” He could start shooting the ball before looking at the basket because he had developed a sense of the basket’s location in relation to his place on the court. When he had perfected the basketball player’s version of a GPS system, he wrote the book titled “A Sense of Where You Are.” So, create and follow your unique path to greatness. Dwell on the highest mountain peaks of your mind. Live in the spirit that is revealed to you. Master your body’s potential. You will conceive and comprehend great thoughts; your mind and body will develop great strength and power; and your skills and achievements will multiply. You will succeed far beyond your present dreams. Your shots will go in the basket of life.
