Prepare, recognize, execute, and be grateful.
Adam Rifkin stashed this in Basketball
Stashed in: #inspiration, LINSANITY, Founders, Startups, Luck!, Gratitude, Wisdom, Practice, Confidence, Zen, Productivity, 10,000 Hours, Manifestos
This morning Joyce and I were discussing how Jeremy Lin, someone who couldn't even get a college basketball team to recruit him, has become one of the hottest stars of the NBA.
So I went back and watched a video of a day in the life of Jeremy Lin that he made in November 2011, during the NBA strike when he wasn't even sure he was going to be let back into the NBA. (As it turns out, he got waived by not one but two teams before the New York Knicks optioned him.)
He works hard EVERY DAY: gets up at the crack of dawn, eats a ridiculous amount of eggs and protein, and works hard till he drops.
But the thing is, he was working hard every day even before he got an opportunity in early February when several Knicks starters couldn't play.
He was ready to seize the opportunity and he recognized the opportunity when it came available so he could seize it.
He is the living embodiment of this mantra:
You have to prepare yourself to maximize the opportunities that come your way. Prepare, recognize, execute, and be grateful.
And I bet, now that he's succeeding, he's living exactly the same way.
Before enlightenment: Chop wood, carry water.
After enlightenment: Chop wood, carry water.
Isn't that why we say luck is preparedness meets opportunity?
Which is why I keep #pinning Lin.
A day after I wrote this TechCrunch published an eloquent article with the same message and more examples: http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/18/seize-your-opportunities-like-jeremy-lin/
3:00 PM Feb 17 2012