You are not special! - By James R Phillips CEO of ABOVE

The year was 1996, and this was not the first time this had happened. I had great seats for a collegiate basketball game, the seats right next to the court in a some great venues for enjoying the game. I remember the bands playing during halftime, the crazy loud student sections, and outstanding individual performances. What could be the problem? There were actually a couple problems. I was on the team, my team was getting blown out every night by at least 30, and I hadn't stepped foot into a game for weeks. I sat and thought about about the goals I had for my Freshman year of college basketball, and how they had crumbled around me. I thought my talent was undeniable, a freshman starting games, scoring games high's in points, and getting all the attention for the obvious skill I possessed. The current circumstance did not reflect I had a true grasp of reality. The weight of my sadness was leading me to a singular conclusion I may in fact be the worst collegiate basketball player in the country, I was definitely not special.

At the age of 19 in 1996 I was a shitty basketball player, but that wasn't the worst of it, the most acute issue is how I thought about things. I thought I was good, smart, unique, and approached the world with my own rules because I was different than everyone else, I wasn't different, and neither are you. The thought that the rules of the world and complexity of interpersonal relationships do not apply to you is the poison that fuels every person sitting in prison, struggling in poverty, or drowning in depression. You must overcome challenges, you are obligated to work hard, and the greatest indicator of your happiness and success is your motivation to move through it. Unfortunately you must be willing to accept hardship for the lessons about the world you must learn, the things you don't know, and the skills you haven't developed.

By the time 2001came around I figured out basketball, I lost 30 pounds, I started running everyday, and lifting weights. I realized effort mattered. The lessons I learned with basketball when taken in context revealed to me the real value of my failure. I gained knowledge in the value of honesty, I understood what happens when you work hard, and most of all I figured out that there was no excuse for me. There is no excuse for you either, so when I share this, I mean it. Whatever lesson in life you are struggling with, the only way to assure your improvement is through the effort of discipline, character, and accountability. The rest of the story at least for me is I gained this information at just the the right time. 2001 was one of the toughest lessons in perseverance I ever learned, and it had very little to do with basketball. I am thankful for the growth, I want everyone to be thankful for their chance to learn that they aren't special, and obtain the tools to walk through their greatest challenges.