Shoot Your Shot

by Vernon Brundage Jr

  Yes, it is easier said than done but if you make a habit of thinking and feeling positively, regardless of your circumstances, you will be able to bounce back and continue on your path.

  Change your thoughts and your mood and see how your outcomes begin to change as well. Choose a life that is consistent with the thoughts and emotions you would have when you’re in a shooting zone, not one that mirrors the thoughts and emotions you would have during a shooting slump. Live in a constant state of expectation and truly believe that what you want will happen in your life. Always expect your shot to go in.

  Visualize yourself accomplishing your goals and feel yourself in that state of accomplishment before and during your journey. Go throughout your day with the utmost confidence that the positive mental picture of your life that you have constructed will materialize in the real world.

  That which we focus our thoughts and our feelings upon is what we will attract into our lives. This concept is most commonly referred to as the law of attraction and is true for both positive and negative thoughts. Everything that we see in the world around us is the visible expression of the thoughts that we have had.

  That means the place that we live in, the people who we associate with, the job that we have, and so on and so forth are all extensions of the thoughts we’ve had at some point in our lives. What we give our energy to is what we attract and what manifests itself into our life experience.

  Sometimes negative thoughts are going to creep into our minds. It is part of the human experience. However, once this occurs, immediately filter out those toxic thoughts and shift your focus back onto only what you want.

  Even if things are not necessarily going your way, when you focus on thoughts of increase, productivity, success, and happiness, you will attract all of those things into your life. On the other hand, if you focus on loss, wasted time, failure, or sadness, those things will inevitably appear.

  Your thoughts hold the power of life or loss. Make it a habit to focus your energy on what it is that you want instead of what you do not want. Screening your thoughts and monitoring your feelings are critical preliminary steps toward changing your life and, as a result experiencing the outcomes that you want and deserve. By no means will this be an easy feat. In fact, it will be a struggle at first. You will have to block out all the negativity that routinely bombards your life and break from the toxic thought conditioning that you have adhered to for so long.

  At some point, by consistently doing an inventory of your thoughts and making the conscious effort to focus on the things that only bring you joy, peace, and happiness, your life will begin to change for the better. Just like ballplayers expect the ball to go into the hoop when they shoot it, expect for the things that you want in your life to come to fruition as well.

  A spiritual extension of confidence, expectation, acting as-if, and positive thinking is faith—the unwavering belief that a Higher Power is guiding us and moving us in the direction of living our best lives. According to Hebrews 11:1 (NIV), faith is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Faith guides us on our way to becoming our best selves, accomplishing our goals, and realizing our purpose—even when things may not seem to be going in our favor.

  Right now, you may not be able to confidently fathom walking across the stage and receiving that diploma in your hands, or viewing your optimal goal weight on the scale, or being able to withdraw a specific dollar amount from your bank account when you’d like, or picking up your bestselling book from a bookshelf in the store. However, if you maintain an unwavering faith, believing that a Higher Power is interceding on your behalf in all ways, then those things will soon come to pass.

  Our lives are guided by divine influence. This means that no matter your circumstances or present state, at the end of it all, you are going to be alright. What you want in your life will come to pass. Just as long as you have faith that it will. As Matthew 17:20 (NIV) states, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Nothing at all.

  6

  Shoot Your Shot…And Always Follow Through

  You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.

  JERRY WEST

  14-time NBA All-Star, 1972 NBA champion, a 1980 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and ‘The Logo’ of the NBA

  How many of you have been a spectator at a youth league basketball game? I’m talking about the games that 6- and 7-year-olds play in. Correct me if I’m wrong, but those games have the potential to be the most hectic 24 minutes you could ever watch. Not one set play is run. Kids in oversized jerseys and shorts are just running around, pummeling into each other. Some of them may even pick up the ball and start running with it or mistakenly attempt to score on the wrong basket. And if one of them sees just a tiny sliver of daylight towards the basket, you better believe they’re going to catapult the ball from their hip, their stomach, or even from behind their heads towards the hoop.

  All of that action (more like distress for us spectators) and the final score ends up being something like 17 to 12 or 9 to 4. Bless their hearts.

  The little ones have it right in one regard though: You have to start somewhere.

  Every great player has started at that same point of just chucking the ball up towards the rim with the hope that it will go in. And although the majority of the shots that the kids take either ricochet off the backboard, clang off the rim, or hit nothing at all, they consistently live by the code to relentlessly shoot your shot. Maybe, just maybe, the occasional shot will go in and they will score.

  There’s an old saying that goes, if you hang around the barbershop long enough, eventually you’ll get a haircut. In this case, if you shoot your shot enough times, eventually your shot will go in.

  Sometimes you’re not going to have a clue as to how to approach a task or get started on a specific endeavor. But the mere fact that you’re willing to try brings you that much closer to accomplishing that task.

  You miss all of the shots you don’t take. It is better to at least try to accomplish something than to not do anything at all. Whether you choose to go after what you want and fail or you choose to not go after it at all, you will still yield the same results. Why not at least take a chance and go after what you want to increase the likelihood of being in a better place than where you currently are? You really have nothing to lose yet only something to gain.

  The worst thing that can happen when you go after what you want is that you fail. Big deal. Your life isn’t over. Even when you fail, you have an endless amount of attempts left to succeed. Eventually, if you continue to shoot your shot, your shot is going to go in. The game is rigged in your favor. It’s not over until you win!

  So when you’re pursuing your goals, keep shooting. Keep striving. Keep working. Keep persevering. That is the only way you will be able to accomplish your objectives. If you do fail (which you will at some point) at least you will be able to say you gave it everything you had, you went out shooting, and you have no regrets. There is nothing worse than looking back on your life regretting not doing something that was placed in your heart to do.

  The fear of failure is what often holds people back from doing the things they want to do and prevents them from experiencing the happiness they desire. Fear is the misuse of our creative capacity. We spend so much time fearing things we cannot control and things that will probably never happen. As a result, we hold ourselves back from creating the life we want.

  When we do actually go after what we want and fail initially, we often want to give up. We feel like it’s not worth the pain or the hassle and that trying to accomplish a particular objective may be a waste of our time. Or sometimes we let intimidation get the best of us. We begin doubting our capabilities. We start convincing ourselves the feat we are trying to accomplish is greater than our ability to do so. As a result, we become disco
uraged and stop going after what we truly want.

  Instead of being fearful, intimidated, or discouraged, be excited and optimistic about the opportunity to utilize your creativity to accomplish the things you desire. The life that you want for yourself is one that is more than feasible.

  Anything you truly want and anything you are putting considerable effort into attaining is not a waste of time. You may only think you are wasting your time because things are not going the way you initially anticipated they would. Guess what? Life isn’t easy. It’s hard. The most convenient option is to give up and avoid the pain. But the rewarding alternative is to push past your missed attempts and through the pain to get to where you want to be. As Galatians 6:9b (NIV) says, “for at the right time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Keep shooting your shot until your shot goes in.

  There is no point in playing it safe in this life. We are all going to die eventually. Sorry for being so blunt but it’s the truth. Being cognizant of this absolute fact of life, how are you going to proceed?

  You have two choices. You can sit up in the stands, filled with regret and slowly wither away, and watch as others shoot their shot, make things happen, and have fun or you can get on the court, shoot your shots, make things happen, and have fun for yourself. It is completely up to you. Only you can make the decision regarding the type of person you want to be—either a spectator or a player. My hope is that for the remainder of your time here on this earth, you choose to get in the game and strive for the life you’ve envisioned for yourself.

  There have been days for everyone when you don’t feel like doing something critical to the advancement towards your goal. Tomorrow, the weekend, or sometime next week always seem to be the better option, don’t they? However, none of those days are promised to us. All we have is the present to get done what needs to get done.

  In basketball, what is key to an effective jump shot is that when you do shoot your shot, you maintain your follow through. Your follow through on your jump shot is vital for a variety of reasons.

  The follow through is basically a measuring stick for your shot. When you shoot your shot and you follow through, you get to gauge how much strength and effort is needed to shoot the ball at different distances from the basket. The better understanding you have of your shot, the greater likelihood you have of scoring.

  Just like the follow through when you shoot a basketball, your follow through on tasks pertaining to your endeavors is guiding you towards your desired outcome. Your degree of effort and persistence while attempting to complete your goal allows you to gauge what is needed to complete your objective.

  At certain points in time, you will have to work a little harder, a little faster, or a little smarter in order to accomplish your goal. You may get tired. You may get discouraged. You may even want to give up. By remaining committed to the process, you will be able to see what it is going to take in order to get you closer to your goal.

  The follow through on your jump shot is also important because the backspin on the ball caused by the snap of your wrist at the end of the follow through can help the ball get that friendly bounce around the rim and into the hoop. This bounce has come to be characterized as the ‘shooter’s roll.’

  As you consistently put in the time and the effort to accomplish your goals, you may have a breakthrough that will help you meet your mark faster than you would have initially thought. Call it luck, call it favor (which I do), call it whatever you want. When you are consistently performing actions with the intent to make your life better and you continue to stick it out despite your circumstances or the occurrence of setbacks, you get breaks that help push you further in the right direction. All because you remained dedicated to the process and followed through on your initial efforts.

  Whether it’s someone offering their help to you, or funds become available at the bank for that desired business loan, or a specific product that you would otherwise not be able to afford goes on sale, or you make valuable connections at an event you were invited to by a friend or colleague. Whatever the case may be, this “friendly bounce” in life is only possible when you remain steadfast, when you keep your commitment to your commitment, and when you follow through with the efforts that are necessary to accomplishing your goals.

  Your follow through is also a means of aiming your shot at the basket. You are essentially guiding your shot into the hoop. I talked earlier about kids and how they just throw the ball up at the hoop any way they are able to. Yeah I know, they don’t have the strength yet to properly shoot the ball but because of this, they are not following through with their shot and, in turn, are not aiming at the basket. Thus, most times their shot ends up going any and everywhere, except in the hoop, each time they shoot. Your objective is to put the ball into the basket so making sure your shooting hand falls toward the rim each time you shoot is a means of aiming your shot at the rim.

  If you do not have a clear aim or a detailed plan for how you are going to accomplish your goals, then you will soon lose sight of what it is you are trying to accomplish. It will just become another brilliant idea that was thought up, put on the shelf, and forgotten about. Specifically define what it is that you want so that you will be able to discern exactly what is necessary in order to attain it. By mapping out what you need to do, you are guiding yourself towards your end goal as you have established a timeline and a game plan for your particular endeavor.

  Lastly, the follow through on a jump shot helps you to keep the same shooting form every time you shoot. Consistency is key. Without maintaining a consistent shooting form, your shot will change every time you shoot the ball, decreasing your chances of making your shot. When you adhere to proper shooting mechanics consistently, you ingrain those mechanics into your muscle memory. You are creating an effective habit through repetition that will ultimately result in success with your shot. After a while, you won’t even have to think about your form or your follow through. It will become ingrained and automatic.

  We are what we repeatedly do. Form good habits in your life that become second nature. Repetition develops skill that can be used to assist you on your path towards accomplishing your goals. If you consistently put in the work to accomplish a certain goal, then you will eventually accomplish said goal.

  Shooting your shot and following through on your shot isn’t about doing everything perfectly. No one is able to do everything perfectly all the time. Sometimes you will have to do things in an unorthodox way and get creative in order for you to attain your goals. Just because your approach is different does not mean it is doomed for failure. It is just your own unique way of doing things.

  Step out on faith and remain dedicated to completing what you set your mind to. Tirelessly beat on your craft, remain consistent in the pursuit of your goal, and see the process through to the end regardless of any obstacles or impediments that may present themselves. Follow through with your initial actions until your objective is completed.

  The accomplishment of your goal is dependent on the actions you carry out consistently on the path towards attaining that goal. It is not how you start, it is how you finish. It is about repetition. It is about having a clear direction and plan for your life. It is about putting yourself in a position to receive unexpected blessings. It is about evaluating whether the level of effort you are putting in or the actions you are carrying out are getting you closer to your mark.

  If you want to attain your desired outcomes in life, it is imperative that you put in the work on a continual and consistent basis—even on the days that you really don’t feel like doing anything. The reality is, if you keep putting off certain tasks until a later time, they will more than likely never get done. Then, you will be left wondering why your life hasn’t panned out the way you wanted it to. Which points to one thing and one thing only—you didn’t keep your commitment to your commitment.

  Never put off until tomorrow what you are capable of doing today. Procrastination is a productivity and, ulti
mately, a dream killer. Always remember, the words “I don’t feel like it” never resulted in anything great.

  Of course, you should absolutely take the time to rest, recuperate, and get in tune with your star player (You). A vacation (or even a “staycation”) is needed every once in a while. It will allow you to be refreshed and renewed, ready to get back to working on your goal.

  One of my favorite quotes from my favorite book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho goes, “Rest a little, but as soon as you can, get up and carry on. Because ever since your goal found out that you were traveling toward it, it has been running to meet you.”[v] Take as much time as you need to get in tune with yourself and to enjoy life, but never lose sight of your goals and don’t put them off for too long.

  I’ll be honest with you—there are instances when I’m not up to writing (like right now). I’d much rather be relaxing, doing something else, or better yet, doing absolutely nothing. However, my goal is to finish writing this book and the only action that will allow me to get closer to completing that goal is to write, consistently, even when I do not feel like it (like right now).

  Life has a tendency to get in the way. We get bombarded with work, we lose inspiration, we’re tired, we’re frustrated, we have to deal with relationship and family issues, and at times we have pressing affairs to address. I understand this completely. Yet the fact of the matter is, for as long as we exist on this earth, stuff is going to happen. Things will pop up. Unfavorable events will occur. It’s inevitable. However, you can’t push your commitments to the side just because something is not necessarily going your way or you feel like being lazy. Consistency is key if you want to realize the life that you’ve always envisioned for yourself.