A new, unexpected hero in the NBA has redefined the term
superstar. Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks has become an intercultural and
intercontinental sensation nearly overnight. He is a powerful testimony that
the combination of passion, unrelenting work ethic and an incredible level of
perseverance allows one to reach their true calling in life.
Jeremy Lin is the first Taiwanese-American to play in the
NBA. His story can be shockingly related to one of the greatest basketball
players of all-time, Michael Jordan. Lin was not offered a scholarship coming
out of high school, never drafted by the NBA out of college and has been cut by
two NBA teams prior to coming to the Knicks. He shows us that our deepest hopes
and desires can become our realities.
Linspire, Linnovate and Linfluence
Lin’s fairy tale story has captured the interest of nearly a
billion people within fourteen days. The perfect storm of Lin has swept the
nation but has also engulfed China and large parts of Asia. His success is an
inspiration to everyone that has been told that they do not have what it takes
to become successful. Lin shows us that we can succeed regardless of race, of
stereotypes and of circumstance.
"This league is dominated by African Americans. What
are the odds of an Asian guy coming on and having this impact? It's amazing.
It's inexplicable."
-Walt Frazier- TV analyst
One of the most important factors that determine success
involves discovering your right race. One cannot be a champion and reach their
highest potential if you are not actively involved in what you were created to
be. In many circumstances people rely on what other people think you should be
in life and what they think your calling is. What do you think Jeremy Lin would
have done if he listened to everyone around him? A Harvard graduate was
sleeping on his brother’s couch pursuing his dreams.
A challenge in this world is being able to stay focused on
the right things. Everything in our lives has the opportunity to blind us,
detour us and even destroy us if we let it. It is not about failure, failure is
training for success. The champion is made in practice not in the championship
game.
“A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents,
works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to
accomplish his goals.”
-Larry Bird- NBA Hall of Fame
When your heart tells you something, be true to it. Life may
make it appear to be a fantasy, but a dream will come true when you learn to
take no excuse. If you’re not prepared to fail or to be wrong, you’ll never
become someone truly innovative and original.
The secret to living your dreams is how hard you pursue and
develop your gifting. It has been said that a successful man/woman is one who
lays a firm foundation with the bricks thrown at them. Do you try to avoid
people throwing bricks or do you seek out more bricks to build something
beautiful?
Jeremy Lin’s story reminds us that life is about desire,
passion and living out our dreams. Regardless of who you are you can achieve
your dreams despite past failures, heartaches, setbacks, racism and even
stereotypes. To be successful in the game of life you must be in the game and
not sitting on the bench
Dr. Cory Couillard is an international healthcare speaker and columnist for numerous newspapers, magazines, websites and publications throughout the world. He works in collaboration with the World Health Organization's goals of disease prevention and global healthcare education. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.
Email: drcorycouillard@gmail.com
Facebook: Dr Cory Couillard
Twitter: DrCoryCouillard
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