Words are a social network for humans (philosophy)

     The “Forgiving my Father” poem by Lucile Clifton is a poem that is about growing up in life. Being an adult is tough according to the words and lines of the poem. The poem is mainly about a child trying to forgive a father for things that was done in the past. There are times a child thinks they know what the real world is like. But, they do not know what the real world is like. The real world is hard and sometimes it can be very unfair. The real world has a lot of rules that do not make sense and it seems that the rules are very unfair at times. The author show signs of New Criticism in the poem. The poem shows a connection to society and New Criticism is about connecting words to society. It about showing a social connection that can only be seen by looking at the words written. The entire poem is connected to the way society is in the modern world. Television shows you one thing, but the one thing is not what is shown on television. The “Forgiving my Father” poem by Lucile Clifton reflects New Criticism ideas by expressing social connections with limited time, paying bills, and old prisoner.
     New Criticism, was founded many principles which relates to nature and one of them is social connection (Pickering, 2008). The social connection refereed by many New Criticism theorist is connected to social connection (Pickering, 2008). Writing at is core is connected to nature. It is a pathway between the organic and the written word. Social connection is connected to the way organic creatures interact with each other (Pickering, 2008). They will speak with one another using writing which comes from a organic creature. Writing is not something that is born into this world. It is something that is specifically written to connect people to each other (Pickering, 2008). It is written to explain things to one another. Only a human or an animal can write words on a paper and only a human or animal can read the words. The social connection is connected for communication with animals among themselves. Created to show something that is meant for the people who read the words.
     New Criticism theorist believed that words in poems formed a social connection with the world that humans live in (Pickering, 2008). Humans live in a world that requires them to communicate with one another and it requires them to work together in order to survive. Words and sentences in literature according to some New Criticism theorists is a bond that is made to explain things and create a social connection. A social connection between one person and the entire human race. In other words, literature is a gate that will connect one person with another person (Pickering, 2008).
New Criticism is also about judging the content of what is written (Pickering, 2008). The reason the context of what is written is judged is because literature is believed to be connected to nature. Nature, is suppose to be the divine area of energy that involves all human existence (Pickering, 2008). The concept or reason for nature goes beyond human understanding. But, it is believed that nature is suppose to guide us on what to do in life. Nature is suppose to guide humans in the direction they want to go or explain things that do not make sense. Poems and literature is a message from nature to explain things to humans. It is for humans because humans are the ones who invented writing and humans are the ones who understand it (Pickering, 2008). Nature also makes humans feel they are connected to it.
     The poem “Forgiving my Father” talks about a human having limited time (Lucile, 2018). The story is about a young man or woman speaking to their father with a letter. The story talks about the man or woman feeling sorry for not realizing the adult hardships that come with being an adult (Lucile, 2018). One of the hardships that come with being an adult is limited time. Limited time is connected to all humans. All humans have a limited time to do things. They all have worldwide social connection that is understandable by humans alone. This ties into the New Criticism theorists who believed that literature is a social connection. Lucile was trying to show readers that being an adult means you have a limited amount of time to do things because you have to work. All humans on Earth have to work in one way or another. The fact is the what makes humans have a limited amount of time on Earth. This message was meant for all humans. It was not meant for one person, but all the people who read it. The author writes, “there will never be time enough daddy daddy old lecher
old liar (Lucile, 2018).” The author is trying to bring social awareness to the reader with words written alone. Words can connect people to the actions of a entire race.
The poem also talks about paying bills in the first few lines. The author writes, “We have come to the paying of the bills (Lucile, 2018).” The reason the author writes “we” is to show that the message is meant to connect one individual with all people living on Earth. New Criticism theorist believed in words that connect one to all who understood the language (Pickering, 2008). The evidence is written in the poem’s literature. Some literature is meant to show one what all is doing at the same time. Everyone on Earth is paying bills in order to survive. There is no way around it due to the industrial revolution. The author wanted people to know that everyone is required to pay bills (Lucile, 2018). That is a concept the author wanted everyone to know. It shows a social connection that reflects New Criticism.
     The poem also brings in the concept of “old prisoner” to the human society. The author writes, “You are the pocket that was going to open and come up empty any Friday (Lucile, 2018).” The author writes this sentence illustrate that humans will make it Friday realizing they are back where they started. It happens in one’s life. One might do all sorts of things to be pushed right back where they started in the beginning. The author was also trying to infer this understanding to all human beings that being alive is not just about paying bills (Lucile, 2018). When you live your life like that, you find yourself running in circles and being in the same place you started. The author wants humans to enjoy the moment not the money that is available in the account. The words show a social connection to all humans in the poem. The author wants humans to realize that what you have is what you have and you should enjoy that. Do not focus on the bills because that will only make you a prisoner.
     The author tries to convince the person that is reading it of many social connections. Each concept the author introduces involves human responsibilities. They are things in this world you can not run away from. But, you can choose to look at it a certain way to feel better about it. The author wanted you to know that everybody goes through problems. You have to deal with problems and beware that we all deal with some of the same things. Paying bills, becoming a prisoner, and having a limited amount of time is the fate of all humans. One should try to focus on other things. One must realize that life is not about working. Life is about what you do to survive. It is about what you do after work. Work is just something you do to survive. You must not fall into it. The author’s “Forgive my Father” is about an author trying to have a social connection to all humans. The words that are written is connected to what New Criticism theorist believe. Literature is a gate to human connection.













Reference:

(2018). Forgiving My Father: Poem Analysis.
Retrieved from URL: https://www.oboolo.com/philosophy-literature/literature/case-study/forgiving-father-poem-analysis-85459.html.
Clifton, Lucile. Forgiving My Father. Retrieved from URL: http://homepage.smc.edu/cramer_timothy/forgiving.htm.
Lynn. S. (2011). Texts and contexts: Writing about literature with critical theory. (6th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Pickering, E. D. (2008). The Roots of New Criticism. Southern Literary Journal, 41(1), 93-108.

Atlantis, The Ancient Future City (Literature)(history)(philosophy)

(Credit):

--written by thewriter197.
--employed by (elearningflashcards.com).
--Paid $5.00 for work.
--Written for high school, college, and elementary schools.
--Written for history, science, and education purposes.
--The client is working on a education program for kids and adults.
--Article directed by (elearningflashcards.com).

Minoans



     Minoans, a civilization that appears to be from a  mythical city called “Atlantis (Muck, 1976).” Atlantis, a city with highly advanced technology and people speaking multiple languages. The languages according to legend,  are the origin of all human language (1999-2008). Greek philosopher Plato, believes the civilization was ahead of other ancient civilizations on Earth. Some people believe the civilization had futuristic technology that is not suppose to exist (1999-2008). Time travel may have been used to explain the strange circumstance but there is not enough evidence. The city is located somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean according to the legend.

    The society was very strong and very intelligent. They were able to build things beyond imagination (1999-2008). The Minoans might have had access to machines during those times (1999-2008). In the beginning, the society had divine nature and body forms with God like powers (1999-2008). The people flew in the air and they move things with their minds. Years later, the society drew away from its God self into a human self (1999-2008). Their forms changed into something less powerful and human like (1999-2008). The reason for this occurrence is unknown. The legend claims they use to be Gods or some super powerful being.

     They wanted a society that was free from pain and suffering (1999-2008). The Minioan art told stories of the society wanting perfection and peace (1999-2008). They had peace, wealth, and strong intelligence to solve any problem (1999-2008). The society got rid of problems most humans face today. But one day, they forgot the divine morals. It brought them to their end (1999-2008). There is more to this story but it's not known in the year 2018.

     What happen to the society? According to Plato, Gods destroyed Atlantis and made them disappear from Earth. This theory, is not proven and based on rumors. Archaeologist Otto Muck, claim the civilization was destroyed by a giant meteor. The rock caused a giant wave to hit the city (Muck, 1976). Another theory claims they fell due to giant earthquakes in Atlantis. The truth of their downfall is unknown. All we have to go on at this time is pictures. Maybe the truth will be found about Atlantis and maybe it won't.









Reference:



Luis, Movellan Mireia. (2018). Rise and Fall of the Mighty Minoans. Retrieved from URL:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2017/09-10/Minoan_Crete/.

Muck, Otto. (1976). Minoans Civilizations and Atlantis. Retrieved from URL: http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/waymac/History%20A/A%20Term%202/3.%20%20Ancient%20Classical%20Greece/Atlantis.htm.

(1999-2008). The Minoans and the Ancient Legend. Retrieved from URL: http://www.historywiz.com/minoansatlantis.html.

Working For My Master--(Story Script)(Cartoon Script)

(Credits):

--Written by thewriter197.
--Directed by magicfool64 from deviantart.
--This is the raw cut version.
--The edited version is on magicfool64 deviantart page.
--Story script for a monster servant complaining about the boss.
--Paid in $50.00 Euro.




Working For My Master--(Story Script)

(Characters):
1.King Dedede (Supreme overlord and boss of Escargoon. A king of monsters.)
2.Escargoon (Employee of King Dedede. Over worked and humiliated by the boss.)   
3.Talon (One of King Dedede’s gardners.)
4.Dimy (One of King Dedede’s gardners.)

(Part 1):
Scene 1: Escargoon takes a break to look

Escargoon wakes up and decides to look out the window. He see images of trees and a large blue grassland. He thinks about what he is doing. He thinks for a few moments. Then his boss walks in. King Dedede shouts a few words and give order.
Escargoon: (Another day)
Escargoon: ………………….
Escargoon: (I been trying to do this thing)
Escargoon: (But the king)
Escargoon: (The king is a pain)
Escargoon: (sigh)
Escargoon: (…………………………)
Escargoon: (It has been 4 years)
Escargoon: I should be use to it by now
Escargoon: but………..
King Dedede: Escargoon, Escargoon
King Dedede: I need you to do me favor, I don’t want to hear you wine today, shut up and do what I say
Escargoon: I am tired my lord
Escargoon: I am tired
King Dedede: I do not want to hear those words
King Dedede: I don’t want to hear it today.
King Dedede: Get your ass to the kitchen
King Dedede: Go to the kitchen now
King Dedede: Go clean it up
King Dedede: Me and my associates just finish eating there and I need you to wash the dishes and clean up the rest of the mess.
King Dedede: Its a real filth in there
King Dedede: hahahahhahahah
King Dedede: You got to work for awhile this time
King Dedede: Now, be a good little minion and get in that kitchen, NOW
King Dedede: (King Dededed slaps Escargoon across the face)
Escargoon: My lord, why do you have to slap me
Escargoon: I did not do anything my lord
Escargoon: Why
King Dedede: (King Dedede slaps Escargoon again)
King Dedede: I am your boss and you must not question me you little ant. Do what I say and shut up.
King Dedede: I own you and you work for me. Therefore, If I choose to slap you it is my business. I am the supreme overlord and you going to do what I say.
King Dedede: I am the one you work for, so you must deal with the punishment and work I give you. Now, get to work and shut up. I am your lord.
King Dedede: I am your lord
Scene 1: Part 2 Escargoon Complains in Secret
Escargoon Looks at King Dedede with a frown and walks to the kitchen. King Dedede turns his back and walk to the front door. He says to Escargoon to wear a made costume as well. He glances back at Escargoon and give him the look. The look of something bad is going to happen if he do not do it. The look that Escargoon has seen too many times. The look where Escargoon must obey or else. King Dedede opens the door and then closes the door. Escargoon stands in the kitchen for a few minutes and then begins to clean up the kitchen.

Escargoon: (Has he left yet, let me check)
Escargoon: Looks all good
Escargoon: (I need to mumble to myself)
Escargoon: I hate my boss
Escargoon: I been working for four years and he still treats me like I am an idiot
Escargoon: Like I don’t know how to clean anything.
Escargoon: I been cleaning for this idiot for four years.
Escargoon: Why can’t he see that
Escargoon: (Sigh)
Escargoon: Shit, man
Escargoon: I need to get rid of his ass
Escargoon: He always telling me what to do
Escargoon: Like I am smart and I can do what I want
Escargoon: I don’t need this idiot telling me what to do
Escargoon: And the other day he was yelling at me for doing things ahead of time
Escargoon: I just want to kill this guy sometimes
Escargoon: I appreciate what he did for me
Escargoon: But
Escargoon: But his mental abuse is going to far
Escargoon: I am good worker dammit
Escargoon: I might be a ugly monster, but I deserve more appreciation then this
Escargoon: He been slapping me a lot lately too
Escargoon: I don’t know if he thinks I am weak or if I am stupid
Escargoon: But, it hurts you know, it hurts, every time he looks at me and treats me like
Escargoon: Like I am just a piece of furniture or a mosquito
Escargoon: I had it with that boss
Escargoon: He is the overlord and has the power to do what he wants
Escargoon: But
Escargoon: But somebody needs to teach him a listen
Escargoon: That somebody needs to be me
Escargoon: I need to teach him a lesson
Escargoon: He been slapping me too much and making me feel worthless for too long
Escargoon: Yeah, thats what I need to do
Escargoon: I……………………

Escargoon, thinks for awhile in the kitchen. He thinks quietly for a few minutes. He thinks about how he is going to get his revenge. He is not strong enough to defeat the overlord. So, he must think of another way to get him. King Dedede, might be the ruler of the 135th planet of Genix. But, King Dedede is cruel and sometimes he needs to be punished. Escargoon finish cleaning the kitchen and then thinks for awhile. King Dedede returns to the castle and decides to go to another room in the castle. He looks at Escargoon and keep walking.

Escargoon: I need something to make him look bad.
Escargoon: If only I had something
Escargoon: But what
Escargoon: I am just a monster house maid
Escargoon: I was never really a genius
Escargoon: not much
Escargoon: wait
Escargoon: wait
Escargoon: is that a video camera
Escargoon: hmmmmm
Escargoon: I could use that to record stuff
Escargoon: I could record King Dedede
Escargoon: For doing what? I don’t know
Escargoon: What Can I get him for?
Escargoon: shit, I can think of anything
Escargoon: still nothing

Escargoon thinks of what he can record King Dedede doing int he castle. He thinks for a minute and it takes longer then usual. A few hours go by. Escargoon, walks to the guest room of the castle and holds the camera in his hands. He looks at it and thinks.

Escargoon: I will just watch him in secret
Escargoon: That is what I will do
Escargoon: Now, I need to wait til tomorrow after I do my daily work, then I am going to follow King Dedede secretly

Escargoon, waits a day and sleep well. He doesn’t realize what is going to happen next. He thinks that recording King Dedede in secret will get the revenge he needs. He decides to sleep and just go with the crazy plan. He didn’t really have a plan, but he had a good enough plan to work.

Escargoon: I just finished the dishes and now its time
Escargoon: I need sneak behind and keep quiet
Talon: Hey Escargoon, what you doing?
Escargoon: I am doing nothing, just video editing some trees blowing in the wind.
Talon: ooohh ok, well what you been doing?
Escargoon: I need to handle this real quick, I will talk later.
Escargoon: That guy is always talking
Escargoon: Alright, King Dedede would be int he 5th chamber on the 19th floor at this hour
Escargoon: I need to go get the camera and begin recording

Escargoon walks to his room and gets the camera. He decides to took the camera under his shirt to avoid suspicion. He wears a brown leather jacket and walks to where King Dedede is located. He tries to be as sneaky as possible and if any asks he say that he is making a video for trees blowing in the wind. That is not his real purpose, but he can’t risk a leak in the castle.
Dimy: Hey Escargoon, whatr you doing
Escargoon: Making some tree videos, move out the way
Dimy: What is your problem to day, im just saying small talk
Escargoon: Not today Dimy, I am busy
Dimy: right
Escargoon: (Ok, she left, it is just me and the king).
Escargoon: (Its time for me to execute the plan)
Escargoon: (I see him, now is the time)

(Part 2):
Part 2: Scene 1: King Dedede Falls

King Dedede: I am the overlord, no one can tell me what to do
King Dedede: I am the overlord and on one can tell me what to do
King Dedede: I am the overlord
King Dedede: I am the…………….woo…wooo..weeee..thump
King Dedede: (Am I falling, I been drinking a lot, im not really……)
King Dedede: (Oh shit)
King Dedede: haaaa,,,,eeeeeehhhhhhh
Escargoon: (Yes, I finally caught him in the act, yes)
Escargoon: (I need to quietly act like I didn’t see anything and go upload this to youtube)
Escargoon: (Yes, youtube will make him look like the idiot, he always making me look like)
Escargoon: (Yeah, its time)
Escargoon: (Upload this soon)
Part 2: Scene 2: Escargoon Gets Revenge

Escargoon uploads the video to youtube. He waits for the sun to go down. Then, he opens his laptop and uploads the video. HE decides to put his name for uploading the video. He thinks this is a good idea, but he is unaware of what is going to happen next. A week goes by and people start commenting on the video. Millions of people.

Escargoon: Let me see how the video is doing
Escargoon: It is doing better then I thought, there are a lot of people wanting to see
Escargoon: It s a bit bigger then I expected
Escargoon: hmmmmmm
King Dedede: I need to get me something to eat, the food has run out again
King Dedede: Escargoon, go back to work, heheheh
King Dedede: Hey everybody
King Dedede: (Why is everybody looking at me, I mean everybody, even people in other planet sectors who have their own supreme leaders.)
King Dedede: (It is not a big deal, but it seems to be everyone, like dam.)
King Dedede: whatever, nobody got something to do today
King Dedede: ………what
2 kids: Hey its the guy that fell
2 kids: you falling today sir
2 kids: Hey watch your step, hahahahahahahhaah
2 kids: hey watch your step
Other people: watch your step, hahahaha
Other people: watch him, watch him
King Dedede: Something is up
King Dedede: Let me go home

King Dedede goes back to the castle. Confused, people at the grocery store seem to be laughing at him. They keep telling him to watch his step. He thinks to himself and wonders. He can’t seem to figure it out. He arrives home a few hours later.

King Dedede: What are you guys doing
Talon: Watching a video of you my lord
King Dedede: Doing what
Talon: Falling down the steps
King Dedede: Who, let me see it
King Dedede: (Who could of did this, not too bad, but who in my castle.)
King Dedede: go back to work minions
King Dedede: I will look at this privately
Talon and other minion: lord
King Dedede: Hmmmm
King Dedede: Made by Escargoon, I wonder if it was that little pussy housemaid
King Dedede: Escargoon, Get down here now
King Dedede: (I am surprised that it was this pussy house maid)

(Part 3):
Scene 3: Part 1: Escargoon Might Get Hit

Escargoon comes down from his room. He notices that his lord is holding something. He doesn’t quite know until he walks a little closer. He see a hammer. The lord moves the hammer up and down in a quiet motion. Escargoon looks at him.

Escargoon: lord are you ok
King Dedede: …………………..
King Dedede: ………………….
Escargoon: Lord what you need help with today
Escargoon: I am your loyal house maid and I will do whatever you wish
King Dedede: ………………………..
Escargoon: (does he know, how? No, he can’t know but he looks so mad, I need to act like he doesn’t know)
Escargoon: …………………….
Escargoon: lord, I……………uh…………
King Dedede: ……………………..
King Dedede: (Should I kill him for disrespecting me or make him think I am going to kill him for thinking he can disrespect me?)


To be continued………………………………..

Basketball Changed My Life Book (Book Assignment)(Philosophy)

(CREDITS):

--written by thewriter197.
--Real Title:  ROCK PILES: Navigating Competitive Basketball in North America.
--employed by (writing client).
--The book is edited by the (writing client).
--I was hired to be a ghost writer for a basketball book.
--This would be my first book written for a client. The date is (06/03/2018).
--The book is about a person choose basketball and how you connect basketball to real life.
--Directed by the writing client.
--This is the raw cut version. I will edit this a little when I have time.
--I had to cancel the project after 3 chapters and a half. The client was not paying me enough money. I had other clients I had to do business with. People who was going to pay me more. I tried to get the client to pay me more money but they wouldn't budge.
--Each chapter is (15 pages) long.
--I was paid $120 for the project. The work I did.












-------------------------------------------TITLE of BOOK:------------------------------------------------------

ROCK PILES: Navigating Competitive Basketball in North America









Contents

0.Introduction……………………………………………………………………….......3

1. Character Development………………………………………………………..……..5

2. Passion for the Game……………………………………………………………....…21

3. 10,000 hours to Greatness………………………………………………………….…37

4 Health and Wellness (nutrition).…………………………………………………....….53

5.Navigating Injury

6. 90 Percent mental and 10 percent physical - Importance of Education habits

7. "The BIG Stage" Prep Schools, Academy, Exposure Camps and Tournaments

8. Agents, Handlers and Boosters

9. Financial Literacy
















INTRODUCTION


     Basketball, the sport I remembered when I was a kid. Let me tell you a little about myself and why I value basketball so much. Yeah, I remember that sport like it was yesterday. I never made it to the NBA and I had dreams just like any kid that didn’t know any better. I had dreams of being something great. I did become great but it wasn’t the way I planed it to be.
     Let me tell ya how it all started. How basketball stayed with me to the core. I was bad at basket ball in the beginning. I tried my best, but I was no good. I started trying for basketball age of 13. I wasn’t that much good either. But, I thought I could be a super star or something like it. 7th grade I was feeling lucky enough to go for it. I wanted to be cool like the other kids you know. I wanted the girls to pay more attention to me. I went to basket try outs the next day after class. I stood next to the other kids who knew what they were doing. Me, I did not what I was doing. But, I thought I could do it anyway. My dumb ass. After a couple shots at the rim, the coach told me to meet him after practice. I saw the look on his old face and knew what he had to say was not what I want to hear.
     He waited for the other kids to leave and told me that I wasn’t cut out for the team. Feeling like a failure and feeling like the war ended. I went home crying alone in my room. It was dark that night. I thought about the fact that I failed the team. I didn’t want to go to school the next day. Basketball, was my life at the time. I sat in my room crying for hours. Upset about failure. I made a promise to myself to practice for 8th grade basketball try outs. Summer came, I went out to the street court and dribbled for hours. I wanted to be the best basketball player there was. I didn’t care if it was a stupid dream. It was my dream and I wanted to be somebody. Day and night, I practiced and trained. Trained with other people. Young and old didn’t bother me on the basketball court. We are all equal on that basketball court.
     After a couple months, I got pretty good. I thought I was Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. Me and my basketball buddies I met at the court would stood up all night talking about being superstars. We always hung out in the drive way on top of my mom’s car. Yeah, I will never forget those kid days when we could do things and not be judged. Years went by, I trained hard and I got good enough to compete in street tournaments and school basketball games. I became a good player and I learned a lot from playing basketball. So much I will never forget. I will never forget what I did during those days you know. I mean you never forget the moments that make you the person you want to be.


CHAPTER 1: Character Development

     Character development is something you learn a lot of in basketball. There are some things you don’t know of yourself. Basketball introduces you to people and things you want to do in your life. Things are connected to your character development. Every man or woman needs to know what they really want in life. That has something to do with building character or obtaining character.
     Before basketball, I did not have much character. I did not know what I wanted to do with my life. I tried different things but I never really did what I wanted you know. I was trying to be cool instead of trying to be myself. Being your self is so hard you know. You want to fit in badly because you don’t want to get picked on. Yeah that was me once a upon a time. I did things to fit in. I didn’t do anything I really wanted to do. I was just waiting for a miracle. A miracle that wasn’t even real. People liked me but they didn’t like the real me. That was a problem for me.
     I wanted people to like the real me. I didn’t want people to say “hey its the guy with the cool clothes.” I wanted people to say “ hey its that guy that does x, y, or z.” I wanted people to know me and not some idiot they see on T.V. I just want to be accepted for me and that takes character and not some popular trend. Character.
     I saw the popular kids in school and I thought “Yeah I should do that.” I never thought of being my own man. I was always thinking about being like the kid who is popular. Why does it have to come that? Who is popular is who you should be. They train us to be like that. I mean not getting picked on is great until you realize that people are talking shit about you and you need to stop giving a shit. That’s when its not cool to follow the world anymore. Sometimes, you got to go solo or walk a different path.
     I thought if I could buy some new clothes or new stuff I could make myself happy. But, I was missing something because I didn’t have character. I just didn’t have it. I was a robot and I was pretending to e something I am not. Wearing a mask and trying to be Batman when I was really Peter Parker. Yeah, character was not involved in my life. It was not present in my life and I really needed it.
     I was tired of being weak and tired of asking for permission. I always doing that in my youth. Looking for approval to do things and it just got to me sometimes. When am I going to do what I want to do. I don’t want to tell my kids that “dad never did what he wanted to do because he was scared.” That is not something I want to live with or say. Some people are willing to say anything about what they did but not me. I want to say things that are true to me and what I want to do.
What is Character? Character is when you believe in your self when no one else does. Character is when you continue to climb the mountain even when something bad happens. That is character. Character is doing what you feel you should do even if others do not think you should do it. There are not many men who have character. But, you must have character. Character is what makes you you and what makes you want to get up in dark times. Without character you just going to fall apart. Yes, you will fall apart without character.
     I remember when I was younger there was a kid on a sidewalk I use to play with. A long time ago. I was about 10 years old at the time. This kid right, he use to say all types of shit to me to get me to punch him in the face. We were friends so I know he was just playing. But, there was times when I took his insults too seriously. We knew each other for a long time. But, I would get so mad at times because I didn’t l know my self. My character level was weak at the time. I would sometimes yell at him and try to punch him in the face.
     We was best pals, but sometimes he got to me and I wanted him to suffer. Completely forgetting the fact that we been friends for so long. We been friends for about 6 years. Sometimes, I would lose my self and I never figured out why I would lose my self. I was pretty dumb back then.
     My best friend said to me, “you’re a fag.” It made me so mad and I decided to punch him in the face. I was mad at the time and I mean very mad. I could see the red paint on my face. I wanted to get my revenge. Problem was that I was taking my revenge on the wrong person. After the incident, I felt sorry for what I did and I apologized to my best friend. My best friend accepted my apology and we went back tot he kid ways. We became better fiends after that.
     That was a good story to explain a person with low character. That particular story represents why you need character in the first place. People are always testing you in life. Testing you with words, gestures, or bad language. The character test is not a test you want to take but a test you must take to know who you are. The only way to past the test is to know who you are. You need to stand up to people in more ways then violence. Strength is also based on character. It is not always based on violence. Violence will not always solve your problems. Some problems require character to solve.
Basketball gave me the character I wanted. People would always test me at basketball meet ups. People would always say things to me. Often times, people would say mean things to me. Yeah, people would try really hard to get me to lose control while playing basketball. I remember this one guy that was about 6’4. He would always say things to make me feel worthless on the court.
He would taunt me endlessly and sometimes I would let him have it. I would often go to the basketball court at night to get some extra practice. But, there he was at the court also. That guy was something. He never let me win and he always made it difficult for me to win. He taunted me every time we played ball together. The face he made when I made a mistake at the court was annoying as hell. Sometimes, I would try to cheat and get even but it never worked with this guy. He would block every shot I made. He would taunt me over and over. As time went on, the guy got worst. He would pick on me every week and say “loser.”
     Then, he would tell everybody in the high school that I was a loser. I finally manged to beat him one day. But, he still called me a loser. I thought that if I would beat this guy in basketball I would earn his respect. That’s the thing about basketball. Winning is not always winning. In other words, if you don’t have character in who you are then winning means nothing. I won against the basketball bully but I didn’t stop playing his game. I kept going on and on to prove a point.
     Character is not always about proving a point. Sometimes, character is about walking away and realizing that playing somebody else game is a lose lose. You must always play your own game with people you want to play with. That's what basket ball teach you. You are going to meet all types of people and you are going to realize that some people you want to play with and some people you do not want to play with. You have the character to know which is which.
     Look, you have to believe in your self and chase what you want. Otherwise, you are just playing somebody else game in life. You need to man up and take failure. Don’t lose who you are to play someone else game. That 6’4 guy was getting me to play his game. I should of been playing my own game. I was too young to understand back then. But, there is more to life then playing a game you do not want to play. You have to remember who you are and stick with it. Don’t change unless you want to change. Build the character you want to have.
     How to build character? Well, it is simply really. You start by doing things you want to do. You want to build character then you must do things you want to do. The only person in the way is you remember. Don't forget that you can do whatever you want to do. Is it going to be easy and fun. Sometimes it is. Most of the time it is not. You going to have to endure some things that might drive you crazy or hate everybody.
     No matter what pain you have to go through to pursue character development, you must pursue it to succeed in it. You must go through the laps and face the failure head on to make some progress. You can not and must not lie to your self. Be honest with your self the whole way. You must know what your doing wrong and do what can you do to make your character development better.
Once your character development is better, you will become stronger and you will know how to do more. You will be capable of doing more I will say. You will capable of going beyond your limits if you work on your character development.
     Go out and play some basketball. Maybe you will meet someone who will give you a piece of what you need. Basketball is a sport but it is also a connection to different parts of your self. There people you want to be and things you want to think of. You got to stop thinking of stuff that's not really aligned with what you want out of life.
     It is very difficult to explain how basketball is like a connection to the other parts of you. You have to experience it for your self. It is not something I can teach you with words. Let’s just say that there are people who can push you forward or show something about your self you did not know.
You don’t always know who you are. Sometimes, you need to play basket ball with someone to find who you are. When someone passes you the ball or gives you that small talk. It will make you feel like you are not alone in this world. It will make you feel like someone understands or someone wants to know too. Not just know, but someone wants to feel what you feel. There are things that need to be said but you can’t say them by your self. You need that connection from playing with someone at the court to know the feeling and to know your not alone.
     You know what happens to people who don’t try to develop their character. They become a shadow or a coward of who they want to be. A person who pretends to be happy. Every day for the rest of the year. A person lies about achievements. A person who won’t own up to failing at something they failed at a long time ago. Do you want to be a shadow? Do you want to be somebody that wishes they could do something. Something about their life or their situation.
In my life, I tried to pretend and stuff you know. But, it didn’t last long. Every day, I would look in the mirror and try to be happy about something I really did not want to be happy about. It was a struggle you know. After shooting all those basket ball hoops I realize there was something deep in me that wanted to be authentic.
     When I say authentic, I mean I wanted to be somebody. I didn’t want to be someone you see on T.V. with a lot of money. Yeah having money makes you look good, but it doesn’t make who you are as a person. Basketball was about skill and work. It wasn’t about looking good. That skill and work stayed with me. I could buy something to make me look good you know but it wouldn’t change the work I did or did not do.
      One day, the work you do or do not do is going to bother you. It bothered me one time when someone said it to my face. Yeah, focusing on your work and making sure your skills are better on and off the court is good. Don’t ever let somebody fill your head with a bunch of bad principles that will slow you down. You got to have the character and the strength to say hey “I can do this.”
You have to do it. Secretly, nobody else can do the work but you. You have to be the backbone that says “I can do this.” You have to practice and make them shots in life and on the court. You have to say hey “I can do this.” You might fail but so what. So, you going to fall a lot more then you think. So, you don’ know what you doing. Well, that's why you got to keep shooting until you learn what you are doing. You are not going to know what you are doing at first. That is normal and that is fine. You got to accept the failure and build your character. Become your own person.
Failure on the court or in life is not the end. Failure is not the end. You got to get back up and try again. Now, if you suck you got to own up to it. Try a different move. Maybe you need practice. Maybe you need to talk to people to figure out what you did wrong. Maybe you need to study more or maybe you need to try longer. Whatever technique you choose to make your life better, make sure it is making you life better. Build your character and let it decide what you need to do.
Failure builds character in my opinion. It is not what just people say. It does make you who you are and who you want to be. I mean you got to know what you can and can not do in life. Just like you got to know if you suck and what you need to improve on and off the basketball court.
I said this before but I will say this again. Basketball is about the work you do or don’t do. Every time you shoot them shots. Think about how much better your life would be if shot them shots in something else. You got to treat basket ball like everything else in life. If you didn’t do anything today. You didn’t do anything today. Do not let someone tell you that things will get better in the future. No, You must be aware and acknowledge when you are doing something and when you are doing nothing.
To illustrate this further, let me tell you a story. I knew a guy who complained about not getting laid. He didn’t do anything about it. He tried and failed. Then, he was like you know what I am just going to die a virgin. I tried to tell the guy to try different technique but he wasn’t listening and shit. So, he continued to fail. Now, the guy didn’t try a different technique. He didn't try to practice more often. The guy didn’t even admit to himself that he suck. What he did was make a story and say that “women suck.” No, women don’t suck jackass. You suck at getting girls.
The guy I told you about was not great at character. He didn’t develop his character and try to be better. He did not try to make the situation better. All he did was complain over and over. Listen, when you suck at basketball or something else. You have to admit that you suck. Then you need to make a new plan and get things working.
In basketball, if you suck at something then you need to practice. Life is the same way. You need to treat it like a basket ball game. Ok, you got somethings about your life you need to fix. Admit that to your self. Ok, you got somethings you suck at. Admit that to your self. Do not be like some people who only say and not “do” anything what they say. No, you must do something about the situation. Do something about the situation to make it better.
The work you did or did not do is going to effect your character. When people call you out on it. It is going to hurt. Just like a basketball game in front of girls. When you lose it hurts. You got to make sure that you win in life. Build your character and develop a stronger version of your self. You got to be better. You must be better if you are going to win. If you want to win you must be better. No excuses about it. The work you do or don’t do is going to affect you one day.
The work you do is the work you do. Nothing or nobody is going to change that. Nobody, is going to say you didn’t do the work. They might say a lot of things, but they can’t say you didn’t do the work. You must have the strength and character to bond the work ethic within you. That bond of working just for the sake of working is what is going to build your character the most.
You must bond the strength and work ethic in you. You must be aware of when you are working or practicing. Just like practicing basket ball to get better at it. Now, practice in other areas of life to get better at that. You must practice and try different things to win. Its the same principle on and off the court. Don’t forget that.
This is connected to basketball in many ways. Basketball is a reflection on the work you put into it. If you are really good at something, then it means you put a lot of work into it. If you have a lot of endurance, then you must have been doing the work for a long time. Your work ethic will show and nothing is going to change that. You might not dress good, but as long as you got that work ethic. You will go a long way.
Yes, when I was shooting the basket ball over and over. Taking that ball into my hands and holding it up. There was a lot of thoughts going through my head. Can I do this? Why am I doing this? What will people say? Those thoughts was always there man. I want them to go away sometimes. But, life just keep pushing those thoughts in my face.Over and over life was pushing these thoughts in my face. Man, I wanted to go away.
The only way to make them go away is keep writing and keep practicing. You got to keep trying to you win man. I don’t know why. But, if you don’t keep practicing and trying, then you going to regret it one day. Regret the days you could of did something. You going to regret the days you should of did something. Life is not going to be easy. Although, you can make it easy if you practice enough and discipline enough. You can make it easy.
It was raining sometimes when I was shooting that ball by myself. I was all alone once. Nobody was there to tell me I could do it. But, hey I am going to do it you know. Even though it was raining, I still managed to get the ball in the hoop. I did get the ball in the hoop and I manged to get things going the way I wanted to. I mean that is the point of life right? To get things going the way you want them too.
Playing basketball is going to teach you how to ignore those thoughts. It taught me how to ignore them. All those hours I spent alone at night made me realize that “I can do this.” Those moments of not knowing when it was going to happen didn’t happen because I believed in it. I believed that I could make it in the basket ball game and that belief helped me build my character. It is important to build character and to make your self stronger in some way.
There was many thoughts going through my head. But, the thought they stayed with me is “I can do this.” That was the thought that made me do the thing that people said I couldn’t do. I became good at basketball because I believed that i could do it and practiced.
I spent hours and days on that court. Shooting that ball. Going up and down the court. I did that over and over. I was trying to build my character but at the time I didn’t know it. So, I did that for months and then one day I realized something. There are thing sin my life that need to change and things did change.
Basketball also taught me to not be afraid of myself. Every time I took a shot at the rim, I felt that fear. It messed with my character. Messed with some of the decisions I wanted to make in my life. Decisions that could be something that would benefit me in the future. That fear you know. It messed with me. Every time I did something I felt that fear lurking deep within me. Whatever I did and whatever I said it was there. I wanted that fear to go away. I wanted it to go far away to another place so I can be brave again.
By playing basket ball, I learned how to deal with that fear. I learned how to accept what people said about me and keep playing basketball. There was a bunch of different people I would play with. They would have different ways of saying things and some would try to weed the fear out of me. Sometimes, it would get to me. The words they would use to provoke the fear I was trying to hide from the public. Basketball is an out in the open sport you see. So, you have to accept your self before you come to the court. The people you shot with would always spot the things you didn’t like about your self. They would spot it and try to draw out your fear.
That is when you stand your ground and hold on to who you are. Hold on to your character. You must hold on to it. Your character is what makes you who you are. If you change who you are completely. You will be living a life that has nothing to do with what you want. Having a strong character has a lot to do with accepting your self. If people don’t like you so what. What matters is that they like you for who you are.
Liking your self for who you are is something I learned on the court. I couldn't practice every week if I didn’t accept who I was. I wasn’t the strongest on the court but I was determined be as good as I can. I was determined to build my character and try to be the best baller I could be. I want people to see me for who I am for now on. Some people are not going to like the real me. But, I didn’t care about that.
What mattered to me and what should matter to you is building your character. Know who you are and what you want. Chase your dreams and do not think about failure. Everybody fails. If you haven’t failed, then you never tried to do anything. That is not a life I want to live. Being a man with no faith in his own beliefs. Man devoid of character.
Passion For the Game

Basketball, I always had a passion for it. I would get up day after day playing basketball. Basketball was my life purpose and I wanted to make it my life. I didn’t care what people said about me for chasing basketball. It was the only thing I cared about. I spent most of life chasing basketball dreams and basketball careers. Basketball was me. I wanted nothing more then to be the next basketball super star. I dedicated my life to playing basketball. I spent hours , days, and weeks to become the best basketball player ever. I wanted to be a basketball player over all else. Basket is my life and what other people wanted means nothing to me. Basketball is what I wanted and is what I want to do with my life.
Its always best to follow your passion for something. You must never do something that you do not want to do. Its your life after all. Most people do not care about what you do with your life. You need to care about your life and start taking it seriously. If basketball is your passion and make it so. Do not make up excuses and try to belittle your self. If basket ball is what you want for your life, then you must make it a part of your life. Make it your dream, your career, and your social life. Make it a part of who you are.
Do not be ashamed of following your passion in life. Life is full of a lot of cowards who chase dreams that are not their passion. They put a fake smile on their face and say they are happy because they make money. But, that money is not going to make you happy. You must fulfil your dream with your passion. You must complete your dream with your passion. For me, basketball was my passion and I have done things centered around basketball to live my passion. Follow in the direction of my steps. Follow your passion above all else.
So what if you fail in your passion for basketball or something else. Failure is just a reminder that you need to practice more and try harder. It will never be easy the first time you do something. But, in time it will get easier and you will learn how to do better and how to be better at doing that thing. I wasn’t good at basket ball at first. Still, I decided that this was my passion. Basketball was it. I was going to put in the time and figure out what I need to know to become better at basketball. I don’t care how many days or weeks it takes. I will find out what I need to know to achieve this goal of making basketball my life.
This brings me to another point, how much time it takes is not the problem. Time is not important when chasing you passion. You are going to make mistakes in life and you are going to suffer for it. Except, you also going to learn something about your self that you didn’t know before. Something you need to know to move your self to the next level in life. That is something that is worth more then anything you have. You should not fear failure if your passion is involved. Chase your passion and become whatever you want to be. So what if you fail. It is better to try to not try right? Better to be a failure then to be a man that never tried right?
A man that never tries to make it will be a man that will always wonder. Wonder if he could have been something. Wonder if he was a brave man. Wonder if he really could do it. Wonder if he was a coward. Wonder why he is alive for not following his dream in the first place. A man must follow his passion or he will fall into the endless cycle of wondering if he could have been something else.
My passion for basketball came from my big brother. My brother, was bit of a ladies man. Girls would always want to be around him. I was a little shy when I was around 12-13 years old. But, my brother always knew what to say to girls. All the girls loved him. They would watch him play basketball for hours. Sometimes when me and my brother were shooting hoops at the local court, girls would up to my brother and start talking to him. Women loved watching my brother shoot the ball and dribble it.
That encouraged me to get into basketball. I wanted girls to like me you know. I wasn’t much of ladies man and I thought chasing basketball would get me some girls. I decided to join my brother and learned a lot about basket ball from my brother. My brother and the way he acted. It reminded me of the person I wanted to be when I got older. My brother wasn’t that smart at times. But, basketball gave him the confidence to be who he wanted to be. Basketball completed his life. I wanted to complete my life in a way.
My brother was my biggest role model. Whenever he was around I would feel that feeling I wanted to feel for the rest of my life. My brother and I hung out at the basket ball court several times. After school, we would run down to the street court. Playing for hours and meeting with people along the way. My brother was very good in conversation. He always knew what to say and what to do. I guess all that time spent on the basketball court made him into a chill dude. Someone who just did things and didn’t think about the consequences. I wanted to be like him one day.
He would always tell me what I am doing wrong. He will let me know what I needed to improve on. I had a lot of things to improve on. From jump shots to dunks. From passing the ball to not getting scared. If my shots were bad, he would tell me about it. If my jump was too off or my defense was too weak, he would tell me about it. He would always try to get me to be better. That persona that my brother learned from basketball was something I wanted in my life.
Basketball, it became my passion over the years. I was not good at in the beginning. Like I said earlier. But, I tried and tried. Eventually, I got better at basketball. I would spend days and weeks dribbling the ball up and down the court. I was trying to be just like my brother. I practiced and practiced. Doing suicide runs and doing alley hoops day after day.
As I practiced, I would jump in mid air to catch the rim. Go on long jogs to develop my endurance. Jumping for long periods of time to get the ball just right in the basket. I would do this for hours and hours. I didn’t care about how much time went by. I wanted to be the best and that is what mattered. I also wanted to win and achieve something. Achieve something that would make me a better person. I knew basketball was it for me even if I didn’t understand it back then. I knew it was the best for me.
By 8th grade, I was good enough to join the summer basketball team. My skills have improved a lot and the women were starting to notice. Yeah, my brother inspired me to get into basketball. But, I realized that basketball was not just a hobby for me. It was my life and I was going to push myself even harder to make it better and be better at basketball.
Later, I decided to try out for the high school basketball team. I been practicing for years. I figured I was good enough to make the team. After the try outs, the coach told me I was in. I became popular with the guys and decided to participate a bit more for the community. Basketball made me more caring then I would of thought. I would volunteer for Red Cross events and outside basketball tournaments. Basketball drove me to care about people as much as myself.
There were other people who helped me with my passion. I did need help and maybe you need help your passion too. I was willing to put in the work, but I didn’t know everything I needed to know. How to guard people. How to steal the ball. How to do basketball cross overs. Yes, I needed help with my dream. It was my passion but I wasn’t chicken enough to think I didn’t need any help.
You are going to need help with your passion. You can not do the dream and career chasing alone. Things are going to happen in your life. Things happen and you do not know what to do at times. You are going to need people and information to help you succeed. Many people, I had to spend time with on the court. I had to learn everything I could to win. I had to know what I needed to know to the be the best I could be. I did not want to be a dreamer. I wanted to be a real basket ball player. I took the step.
I seen people who say one thing and do the complete opposite of what they said. I did not want that person to be me. I was going to be a basketball player and hopefully a star. I didn’t want anything else. Basketball was my life and I wanted nothing else. Either I was going to be a professional basketball player or be a basketball coach. I had to make basketball my life. I wanted nothing else and still want nothing else to be known for. I want to do this and that is what matter when chasing your passion.
Famous basketball player Allen Iverson once said, “I never took the game for granted as far as not having to work on what I needed to do to accomplish all of the things that I wanted to accomplish (Iverson, 2016).” Having a passion for something is good, but its not going to come easy.  I knew that being a basketball player was not going to be easy. I had to put in a lot of time. I had to fail at times. I had to believe when no one else did. I was there practicing for hours and hours just so I can one day do what I dreamed I could do. You got to do the thing that most people do not feel like doing. That is what it means to have a passion for something. Willing to do something just for the sake of doing it.
Another famous basketball player named Yao Ming once said, “Fortune cookies are a good idea. If the message is positive, it can make your day a little better (Ming, 2009).” Following your passion requires you to fill your head with positive thoughts. There are always something that is a problem. There will never be a perfect month or year. Things are always going to go wrong. You got to fill your head with he right thoughts in order to be strong enough to make it through life.
When I was chasing my dream of becoming a basketball player, I had a lot of bad vibes to deal with. I had to force myself some days to do things people laughed me about. I was popular, but I dealt with hate. I also had to deal with a lot of negative stuff that try to make me feel that trying to be a basketball player was not worth it. I had my days man. We all have our days. Days when we don’t feel like getting back on that horse because negative thoughts pushed us too far.
You know, the thoughts of something bad is going to happen or something is not worth it. Those thoughts are always there. They will always be there when you wake up. You have to fight those thoughts and realize that your passion is your life. It is your life and you need to fight those thoughts and try to get back up.
I had my days when I just wanted to quit. I get knocked down or somebody said something to me and I just didn’t want to get back up anymore. Sometimes, I would hate myself for days. I wanted basketball to be my life. But, my support in the beginning of my life was so low. I had to tell myself over and over that “I can do this.” That’s how it was for a couple of years.
Nobody believed in what I was doing at first. So, I had to believe in it and fill myself up with the right set of thoughts. The wrong thoughts, would have just made me want to quit. I had to stop thinking negative one day. I had to make that choice and maybe you do too. I had to stop it and try to make something go right. That's better then quitting right.
Yao Ming also said, “I only want to play basketball, and play it well and be happy about it. But I realize that with being famous comes a lot of demands (Ming, 2009).” Having a passion and being good at something might attract too many demands. Try to keep your demands low in life. Its good to have a passion and strive to achieve something. However, do not expect too much so soon.
When I started basketball, I tried not to expect too much of myself. I need to try different things to see what works. Do not expect too much of yourself. You need to set little goals for your self. Then build on  them over time. You must be patient, but at the same time be willing to improve. Be willing to do more in time also. You must realize that if you push yourself too much, you will ending up hurting your self instead of helping your self. Don’t expect too much.
You have a passion for something, but you must be willing to rest when needed. Rest is sometimes the answer to a problem. Its not always that you do not try hard enough. Your body is too tired to push on at times. You must rest and let your body be. By tomorrow, you will have enough energy to pick up where you left off. Not everything needs to be completed in one day. Some things can be done in time.
How passionate are you about your passion? A question I had to ask myself with my own life. There times when you want to quit. There times when you are going to fail a lot. There are times when people are going to say some mean things to you. There are times when you do not even believe in what you are doing. THere are times when you ahve doubts in what you chose to persue. THere are times when you really want to quit. Ask your self how passionate are you? Make sure you are passionate enough about something to push through even when things are not going the way you want them too. Your passion needs to be strong enough to make anything possible.
Let me tell you a story about a guy I met at the book store. I was over eavesdropping on a conversation. The two guys was talking. One of the guys was bragging about how lucky he is that he is working at a news station. The other guy was congratulating him on his achievement. One of the guys was talking about how he made it and he couldn’t believe it. So, what does this story have to do with passion? The guy claimed he got lucky but reality is that he followed his passion through and through. You will see people in life who claim they got lucky but luck is not real.
I had to practice for days and many nights to be good at basketball. Luck had nothing to do with it. People say luck is real. But, I highly doubt that. My luck was practicing for days in basketball kong fu. Basketball was my drug and I wanted nothing more then to play. I wanted to the be the best I could be. I understand there would be pain and there would be problems. But, I dealt with those problems head on and got stronger. Overtime, I started to see basketball as my drug and something that could help me do anything. I wanted nothing more then to play and basketball was my ticket to achieving a higher level of myself.
Reaching a higher level is connected to man wanting to achieve long lasting success (Strictland, 2013). Basketball player, that was my long lasting success. I needed something to make me fill like I was complete. I mean 100% complete and not percentage less. I didn’t play basketball for fame and money like most basketball weebs (Strictland, 2013). I played basketball because it gave me something I couldn’t have without basketball. It gave me long lasting success. When I did other things in my life, I never felt I was complete. I felt I was just doing things to please others.
Everything I did from jobs to buying clothes, was not giving me the satisfaction I wanted. There something missing in my life. Something I longed for that would encourage me to go farther then I have ever went. Something that would make me feel happy for being alive today. Yes, I wanted something that lasted forever. Basketball, was the thing I wanted in my life. The thing to make all the pieces in my life fit together. There was pieces missing in my life and I wanted those pieces to be glued together for good. Basketball, somehow glued the pieces that was missing in my life. Something I cherish deeply.
I was so passionate about basketball that I would play anywhere. I would play basketball anywhere. It didn’t have to be fancy. I would play ball anywhere and would play with anyone. I was not racist or age cautious. Any kid willing to play with me was good enough to give me a good time. Basketball was my life and it made me care about people. The bonds you share with people while playing basketball is amazing. Each time you play, you learn something about others and yourself. I will never forget those days.
Basketball, gave me a connection to different types of people with different backgrounds. I met people from different backgrounds and different stories. Some were working men. Some were convicts. Some were stupid kids who didn’t know any better. In the end, all the people I met on the court all shared the love of basketball. Something you don’t see on T.V. today. That love that makes you want to play with your friends even if your down on your luck. That love that makes you want to get up and shout “Hell yeah.”
That type of love and passion is not present in the NBA. NBA is all about looking good and showing off how much money you got. It is not about setting an example. It is not like the old days. It is about showing people that you have more money then the little people. NBA players have lost their “love for the game.” Nobody cares about who make it to the play offs anymore. Not like the old days. Everybody is talking about the NBA players’ personal life now. Nobody wants to talk about the sport or get involved in the act of the game. Sad age to be a fan of NBA players.
Me, I was always involved in the love of the game. Everyday I would wake up and play basketball. I wanted nothing more then to play basketball. I wanted to do nothing else. There was nothing else I wanted to do and there will be nothing else I ever want to do. Basketball was my passion and my life purpose.
Basketball was a challenge to me. But, basketball was my passion and I decided a long time ago to overcome any challenge. I didn’t care how big the challenge was or how far I had to go. I was determined to finish the mission at all costs. That is how passionate I was about basketball. I was so passionate that I was willing to deal with anything that got in the way.
You have to be passionate about something in order to make things possible. The sport, was my way to make other things possible in my life. I had problems in my life. From social connections with people to having confidence to do what I wanted to do no matter what. Basketball helped me make things possible in my life. Things that I thought were impossible suddenly became possible.
That is really the core of finding a passion for something. Find a passion for something that helps you piece things together like pieces to a puzzle. Your passion is a key to to pieces to your self. There are pieces in your life that needs to be fixed. Your passion is the key to fixing them. My passion was basketball and it helped me fix my life. I am sure that if you follow your passion and you find a way to connect it to other parts of your life.
Your life is your life. You have choice between following your passion or following a path that goes against it. There is nothing in between. Either you follow it or you don’t follow it./ Either you learn to live without or you learn to live with it. Your passion in my personal opinion, is your life and everything else is extra. One day, you will have to make a choice that is very hard to make.
A choice between doing what you want to do make things the way you want to make them or doing what others want you to do. Its a hard choice to make and as you get older it gets harder to make it. But, you have to make this choice and stick to it. Do not be like some people who will change things and then stick to that. No, you must pick one passion and stick to it for the rest of your life. Find some way to follow your passion. Everything else is extra. Passion is your life.
Reference:
Leon, De Jc. (2008, April 27). Basketball is my Passion. Received from URL: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/20147-basketball-is-my-passion.
Iverson, Allen. (2016). Allen Iverson Quotes and Sayings. Retrieved from URL: https://www.inspiringquotes.us/author/3539-allen-iverson.
Ming, Yao. (2009). Yao Ming Quotes. Retrieved from URL: https://www.sportsfeelgoodstories.com/yao-ming-quotes/.
Strictlin, Dave. (2013). How Passionate Are You? Retrieved from URL: https://www.slideshare.net/aklouder/how-passionate-are-you.









10,000 Hours of Greatness

How long does it take to be good at something? Some say it takes about 10,000 hours. I say it takes a lot of practice and even then. It takes something that goes beyond doing the thing you want to do. You have to find something that is worth spending a lot of hours in. Find something that is worth spending a lot of days and nights in. Find something you don’t mind doing for a long period of time. 10,000 hours of practicing the thing you want to be known for.
Time, a lot of time needs to be sacrificed to become something great. Many days and many hours. Be willing to sacrifice that. Be willing to spend a good portion of your life pursuing the thing you want. Time, is only a problem if you look at the clock. Stop looking at the clock and start practicing on what you need to practice. The clock is stressful.
Many people look at the clock and treat it as something real. They go through their lives watching the clock. Thinking that the clock matter in their life. They forget to realize that the clock is not important. The clock does not determine when you die or what happens in the future. The clock is not real and whatever time is on that clock is not important. People who practice to become great do not to look at a clock. They do not count how many hours go by. It is a distraction that stresses you about everything you do in your life.
If you want to become great, you need shut off that clock and do what you need or want to do. Time does not determine how great you are. Your practice and test determines how great you are. You must not say things like “I don’t have time.” These things will prevent you from doing anything. Time does not exist. Do not even think about time if you want to practice for a long period of time. Time is a distraction and looking at it is not going to change anything.
Some people keep track of time and try to do everything they can do get the most out of their time. But, your not suppose to do a bunch of things. You are suppose to focus on one thing and get better at that one thing. You do not have time to get better at multiple things. Life is too short for that. No, focus on that one thing and keep practicing at it to become the best you could be. It will pay off one day. But, it is not going to be until it is the time to be. You won’t know what time that may be. But, you must be patient and wait for that time.
One day, the time will come and you will be the person you need to be to become great. You will have the experience and the skills you need to accomplished that difficult goal. You will be someone who can do something that is rather difficult. Be patient and practice for a long time until you get it. One day, you will get it right. But, you have wait until that day.
My life as a kid, was very laid back and very care free. During the summer, I would hang out with my buddies and go to the mall to hit on girls. I would shoot some hoops and then get something to eat. I would do this most days of my life. Not thinking about the outcome of having fun which is zero. I didn’t know it was cutting in my time I should be using developing my skills and becoming greater for my career and job. Yeah, I didn’t know that fun was a break from work. I didn’t know that back then.
I thought life was about having fun and that is only 50%. The other half is making sure that things go the way you want them too. That is what separate the dreamers from the doers. One day, you have to stop dreaming about things and just do something. Something connected to making your life better. You have to do something and try something. You do need to be perfect. You just need to hit the target. You just need to hit the target and complete those goals.
Growing up, I didn’t have a stable work ethic. I was a lazy guy. I am not going to sugar coat it. I thought life was about having fun and doing as little work as possible. In my youth, I thought everything was about having a good time. I didn’t understand that having fun sometimes cut in my 10,000 hours of greatness. I didn’t understand that having fun will cut in my time that I should use for practice or personal development. I didn’t set goals for my self. I just did what I felt like doing.
The problem with doing what you feel like doing is that you always want to do different things. You always want to do different stuff. You want to do different forms of work and fun. But, you got to set goals for your self and stick to those goals. You got to stick to those goals no matter what happens. That is the trick to getting things in order. If you plan to practice for 2 hours, then practice for two hours. The same thing applies to other things you do in life.
My work ethic, it was created from trying something even when I didn’t feel like doing it. There were plenty of things I didn’t feel like doing and that is never going to change. Plenty of days I wanted to turn around and go back. But, there came a point when I couldn’t turn around anymore. I had to face what I wanted and stick to it. I had to face what I wanted and stick to it. There was no going back. Going back would mean failure and that would mean that I must give up on what I really want. What I really want requires me to do things I do not want to do also.
I don’t want to practice shooting hoops for hours. But, I want to get good at basketball. I don’t want to practice jogging for miles, but I want to have endurance on the court. I don’t want to wake up some days, but I want to make sure something gets done. The point, you got to do things you don’t want to do as well. Otherwise, things in your life is not going to go the way they should. You got to be aware of what you are doing and make sure something gets done. As long as you make sure something gets done, then something will get done. That is what matters and everything else is not important until that the thing is done.
The importance of proper training is crucial to the development stages. Stages that you have to go through to become good at something. It is not something you must wish. It is something you must do in order to be good at something. You just do the certain things required to reach that higher level of greatness. You must do it. Many will not be able to do it. You must be the exception. Whatever requirement or rigorous test you must take to pass, you must do it. Whatever hours you must put in to be better, you must do it. Whatever frustrations you must endure, you must endure it. There are paths or hurdles you must jump in life or failure is immediate. Failure is something that can prevent you from moving forward. Try to focus on those stages or trials that is suppose to move you to a higher level. Focus on completing them.
You need to prepare for the day when your training will be put to the test. It will matter and even if it seems like it doesn’t matter. All those hours and days spent training in your craft will matter. One day, the day will come when you must take the test. The test that will make you money or leave you homeless. It is a test of all the time you put into a craft. A test that will make you realize rather you can or can not do this. That test will come. You must be ready for the test. You must practice for the test. It is a life and death test. You must past it. That is how I looked basketball and I used it take care of myself in the future. At the time, I didn’t know that it would pay off. But, it did and I am happy I didn’t give up on it.
During the summer, I would spent 6 hours Monday to Friday to work on my craft. I was aiming to be the best basketball player known to man. I was young, but I was determined enough to do what I need to do. At any time of the day and at any moment I was willing to do what I needed to do. I didn’t care about how long it took. I was willing to do it.
There was nights I was asking myself “how do I do this?” I been there man. Wondering how I was going to do the things I needed to do. Things would come in the way as usual. I would have to work around things. Some days, I would wonder how I could do what needed to be done. I was willing to the work. But, I had to be willing to fight what came in the way as well.
I was not very good at working hard in the beginning like I said before. I had a lot of things in my head I needed to sort out. Things I really needed to sort out. My head was preventing me from moving forward and doing the 10,000 hours that needed to be done. There was a lot of thoughts I had to fight off. Thought that shouldn’t be there in the first place. Thoughts that slowed me down. They were preventing me form having the work ethic I needed to practice and do what I needed to do.
Every day when you wake up, You will have those thoughts that you do not need to have. Thoughts that prevent you moving forward. Negative and stupid thoughts lurking in your brain. You must get rid of them immediately. Realize, that you need to practice and you need to focus on what needs to be done in order to be great at something. You get ride of those thoughts you do not need to have at all costs. They will consume you and prevent you from moving forward if you do not get rid of those thoughts. Every time you chase a dream, those thoughts will be there. They will be there every time.
You must fight those thoughts. It doesn’t matter how you do it. Get rid of those negative thoughts. They will only lead to more negative thoughts. That will lead to you doing things that will lead to failure. I been there time and time again. I know what causes failure and what causes failure is thinking things are not going to work out. You must remember that you do not always know the future of your choices. You must make them and hope for the best at times. Leave it at that.
Why practice in the first place? Well, practice is the only way to get better at basketball or any other sport. Practice is what makes you better (Pouska, 2003). You can not throw money into something you do not know (Pouska, 2003). Money will not give you a skill you need to learn on your own. Through dedication and willingness to practice. You need to know certain things that only practice can teach you (Pouska, 2003).
I learned this when I was playing basketball by myself. Basketball, made me happy and being better at it made me more happy. I could have been mediocre with my basketball jump shots and dunks. But, there was something deep in my heart or mind. Something telling me that I need to be better to be complete at it. Rather I was doing it for money or not. I needed to be better. That was something I felt I had to do. I didn’t care if people said I was stupid for doing it. I had to do it. That was the end of it. All else was not important. I had to do it.
10,000 hours of practice is going to test you man. It is going to test rather you really want to do it or just faking it. There comes a point when you can’t turn back anymore. Once you reach that point, you know that you want to do it. You can not look back and that is the problem most people do in life. They keep looking back thinking its a good idea.
No, looking back when your trying to be what you want to be is not good. You find yourself second guessing things and wishing for something else. No, you must move forward and you must at all costs be able to push through no matter what. Looking back is like looking back wen you are driving a car on a road that goes straight. You end up crashing your self eventually. Then, you will have to start all over again. You got to stop repeating your self again. Stick to one thing and do not change. You make that one thing your life and that is it. Find ways to make it possible and to make it work.
Don’t, think about Practice (Pouska, 2003). Why do I say this? Think about it. Really think about it. When Has anything gotten done because you thought about it. You need to think to plan, but beyond doing that you do not need to think about anything. Some people get so caught up in thinking that they forget to do things. Do not be like one of those people.
Trapped in your mind and not realizing that your thoughts have nothing to do with what you do in this world. Your thoughts are you just you talking in your mind. Eventually, you have to stop talking and start doing. You got to take some action and not get stuck inside your head. Your head is like a deep abyss. It falls deeper and deeper into thoughts that do not matter at particular times. Actually, some thoughts do not matter at all. What really matters is making sure things go according to plan.
Make sure things go the way you want them to go. Stop thinking all the time. It will not help you all the time. Some people say you need to think. It is only true half the time. The other half, consists of you doing things you planned to do. Not thinking about the future. Only thinking about achieving the goal you planned. The future is black.
By black, I mean that the future is uncertain. You can plan and estimate. When it comes down to it. The results is what determine what happens. Thinking about the future is not going to do anything for the future. You have to realize that the future consists of what you do today. It is not about what you think of doing. What think of doing is not doing what you are doing now. Do not get it confused with doing. DO not get thinking confused with doing.
That probably don’t make much sense. But, I was chasing my basketball dreams many years ago as a boy. I thought a lot. However, I made sure to do things with those thoughts. A lot of people got ideas and most of those ideas end up at the grave yard. You only live once and one day you need to put those thoughts into action. Do not get stuck in your head. Thinking and doing is not the same thing.
Going on a path to achieve 10,000 hours of greatness and practice requires you to understand the cost (Mike, 2012). You must understand the cost completely. By understand, I mean you must be prepared to pay the price for achieving such a task (Mike, 2012). Are you willing to sacrifice people who get in your way? Are you willing to say no to things that are not going to help you move forward? Are you willing to face the humiliation of failure time and time again? Are you willing to push the rock up the mountain even if you are not respected for it? Are you willing to climb a mountain that could kill you if you fail? Are willing to pay the cost of being successful.
Being a basketball player is not easy. I almost broke my leg and arm multiple times. I was tired some days and I lost at games many days. There was people laughing at me back then. I wasn’t any good you know. I was swinging and missing. But, that determination is what got me to where I am now. I had to be determined. Every day and every step. I had to keep pushing man. I had too. I am now more then I would thought. I am better now and you can be better too if you keep pushing for the thing you want.
I had a lot of failures. I had to learn to live with them. That is the thing you really got to do is learn how to live with your failures and mistakes. Live with the humiliation. Live with the sacrifices of people who prevent you from moving forward. Live with the laughter that people give you behind your back. Live with the fact that you might fail this time. Live with the fact that things might not work out today. Live with it and move on. Do not make up excuses. You got to learn to live with your self. It will make sense when you start chasing your dreams. I guarantee it.
Practice will require you to bring in your own set of intensity (Mike, 2012). Yes, you well have to push yourself harder then the coach pushes you. You will make your practice sessions intense and make sure that you are a skilled in your craft (Mike, 2012). You can not let something slide. If you are weak in on one area, you must work on one area and try to do better. If you are falling short in one, you must be honest about it and do something about it. Do not go through life thinking that doing what your told is enough.
No, you will have to do more to be great at your craft. You will have to do more. You will have to go above the requirement and the average person in your field. You want to be good at something? Then, you must show the world that you are the master and no one is as good as you. You will have may competitors in each craft. You must be one of the best to be someone who works at all. This is fun, but not when it comes to bills. You must push your self to be good enough to accomplish what you need to accomplish.
You need to understand that many people do not make it. Let that be your motivation. Many people do not make it in basketball or in life. Life is not designed to satisfy everyone. People will fail in life. You have to make sure you do not become one of them. You must put in the hours and nights to become something that people can not become. You must become something that others can not catch up to be.
You must run for long periods of time. Run to the point you think you can’t run anymore. Then, run past that point. Run past all the people who are too weak to run as fast as you. I mean this in a metaphor sense and a physical sense. You need to run fast in life. Fast enough o keep up with what is really going on. Practice enough to keep up and practice more so you do not have to keep up.
You must realize that failure is not an option. You might fail, but you will not give up. In basketball, I had to plant this in my head and nail it deeply. I was not going to fail and that was the end of it. I was going to practice day after day until I got what I wanted. I was going to figure out what I needed to figure out until I got what I wanted. You got to keep pushing and do the thing that people do not believe so you get what you wanted. You got to keep moving and keep pushing.
Practice and make the jump. Make the jump into the unknown. Jump into the area where you can not return anymore. You got to jump and stop thinking about failure. You got to jump and you got to keep jumping until you get what you want. Practice and practice so you can make that jump. That jump that will take you to the next level in life. That level that some are afraid to walk on. No, you have to be the exception. You have to jump when most people would not. You can not hesitate. Jump or die. That’s the mindset you need to be good at something.
How do you get motivated when your not motivated to practice? Simple, you realize one thing. The thing you need to realize is that this is a test and that test needs to be answered with action. You must take the test that will change your life. Answer the question you have and stick to it. You must take time out of your day and focus on answering that one question that makes you great. That one plan that will change your life. That one task ore that one step that will make you realize that you are great. You have questions about your life.
Those questions can be solved with answers of action. Action filled with plans that you set out for yourself to accomplish. Make the plan and stick to it. Do not make up excuses. Either you are going to do it or not do it. It is that simple. You want to be great. Make a swear to be great no matter what you have to sacrifice or endure. No matter what practice or skill you have to learn. One day, you will become it. Wait and work on it.


Reference:

Meister, Mike. (2012, Oct. 12). 9 Ways to Improve Your Basketball Game. Retrieved from URL: http://www.stack.com/a/improve-your-basketball-game.
Pouska, Andrew. (2003). Why Practice?. Retrieved from URL: https://www.studybass.com/lessons/practicing/why-practice/.
Here is Why You Should Practice What You Learn. (2015). Retrieved from URL: https://www.learning-mind.com/here-is-why-you-should-practice-what-you-learn/.










Chapter 4: Health and Wellness (Nutrition)

Health and Wellness, two things that are needed in basketball. You body needs to be balanced with health and wellness. Your mind and your body needs to balanced. Your body needs these two things in order for you to be strong. You can not play basketball well if you fail at these two things. I thought I could do it unbalanced when I was younger but I was wrong. I was very wrong when I was younger. Thinking that if I work hard without balancing myself would lead to success. No, no balance means your body is about to tear it self a part. You body needs to function together and agree with one another. Your body must agree with one another. It is something I will hope to explain in this chapter.
First, I would like to describe what I mean by balancing your health. Balancing your health means that you must balance your body starting with the way you eat. When I was a kid, I would eat all sorts of junk food. I would eat cookies and fast food. I would always eat cheese burgers. I thought food was food. But, food is not just food.
I didn’t care about my health at all. I was young and life was about having fun. I didn’t think about how I treated my body. I didn’t think about how it would affect the things I do in my life. I spent my childhood training for basketball. Health was something I didn’t think about. I thought about it but I didn’t take action on it.
Me an friends use to laugh about it back then. We all around the same age. We would spend hours running up the apartment stairs to gain energy to jump on the rim. We thought that training was all it took to be better. But, it was just a piece to the puzzle. We wasn’t aware of the other pieces it took to be good at basketball. Pieces to be good at anything really.
Sometimes, what you eat affect your performance on the court. I could have been faster and more disciplined if I disciplined my body better. But back then, I didn’t care for it too much. I was just a dumb kid then. I would eat whenever I felt like it. I would also eat as much as I felt like it. I was young and I didn’t have a care in the world.
As I got older, I realized that I had to take my life more seriously. My life was becoming more and more stressful. I wanted to play basketball but my energy was going out the window. So, I had to make sure I went on a budget plan for my stomach. When I ate too much I realized I got tired or sick. So, I had to stop eating so much. When I hate certain junk foods, I realized my body started to throw it up. So, I had to stop eating junk food to let me keep my body in order.
My body was going through some strange changes when I was in high school. It started to happen my last year of high school. I notice it had something to do with my stomach. My stomach was acting crazy. Whenever I would go to basketball practice, I would found myself throwing up sometimes. I would throw up all the time and forget the fact that my eating habits is causing my body to not function like it usually do. My body was out of focus.
 It was time for me to do something about it. So I acted on it. I can’t be acting up on the basketball court. I need to be ready and willing to play ball at all times. I decided to try to eat cooked foods and over time my body got better. I notice my body became more able to take punishment as well. Eating cooked food instead that convenient junk food was doing some changes to my body. My body became more capable of doing what it needed to on the court. My body was getting better. I could feel it.
My body was getting smarter and becoming more durable. I notice my body was starting to act as one. It was starting act as if it could do anything that I command it to do. I notice that my body was acting better because I decided to feed it better foods. Feeding my body better foods somehow programmed my body to do better.
You can also balance your body with exercise as well. Playing basketball will provide you with the exercise you need to get rid of the fats. Your body needs you to stretch and increase muscle strength on different parts of your body. It is important to





















Reference:

Bryant, Kobe. Kobe Bryant Quotes. Retrieved from URL: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/kobe_bryant.

Health Fitness Revolution. (2015, April 08). Top Ten Health Benefits of Basketball. Retrieved from URL: http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-health-benefits-basketball/.

Iverson, Allen. Allen Iverson Quotes. Retrieved from URL: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/allen_iverson.

Owens, Jesse. Six Ways to Improve Your Self Discipline. (2017, May 24). Retrieved from URL: http://www.nbccamps.com/blog/basketball/six-ways-to-improve-your-self-discipline.

What is Science Fiction? (Science)(literature)

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What is Science Fiction?


     Science Fiction, is the literature of change according to some writers around the world. Why? Science Fiction comes up with technology that does not exist. Technology that might be too abstract or too impossible to imagine. As time goes by, some science fiction technology will become nonfiction due to inventors creating strange things. Some inventors create things that were known as science fiction in the past. In a sense, science fiction changes the way the future unfolds. Some fiction concepts will change into reality over time.

     Science fiction is a concept that tries to differ from everyday life. Everyday life, refers to the things you see on the outside and reality T.V. You will often see things in science fiction books and movies that look strange. Some of the things do not appear to exist in modern times.

Science fiction is suppose to create a society that does not exist in the real world. Everything from the culture to the technology is suppose to be fictional. The rules and morality change in science fiction as well. What you think is supposed to happen does not always happen in a science fiction story. The good guy is sometimes the bad guy. Sometimes, there is no good and evil. Sometimes, the story is about the meaning of life. Sometimes, the science fiction story is about being lost in space. A science fiction story can be about anything and for any reason. Science fiction is always suppose to leave you on the fence of “which way.”

     For example, the 1960’s science fiction “The Twilight Zone” is a series that leaves you in the middle of “which way.” The series is about humans crossing over a light path that puts them in the twilight zone. Once they cross the light, anything can happen and nothing will make sense. Each story requires you to make up a reason for why it happened. The series wants you to realize that you are alive, but you need to figure out how to relate it to everything else. Series like The Twilight Zone is what science fiction was created to be. A genre where anything goes to find something that is impossible.





Reference:



Treitel, Richard. (2006). Definitions of What Science Fiction is And is Not. Retrieved from URL: http://www.treitel.org/Richard/sf/sf.html.