(I just wanted to re-post this blog from January 5th of this year as it is very much relevant as this week marked the beginning of the NBA Finals...and guess who's in it? My Dallas Mavs!!! Just wanted to say...I called it months ago! Excited for some legendary basketball action in the upcoming two weeks and then I promise, I will come back down to Earth and try not to be an annoying fan anymore...but no guarantees!!! I might also get some sleep for a change and not walk around with bags around my eyes looking like a zombie...but WHEN they win it all, I will be able to say that the lack of sleep was well worth it to watch history in the making. So Let's Go Mavs!!!)
If you know me, you know I am an avid basketball fan. And, to add to that I'm a huge Dallas Mavericks basketball fan so I go to a lot of games and follow them closely. They've had a great start this season and have played so well that people had already started the whispers about "championship"...until last week. Last week, their star MVP forward, Dirk Nowitzki, went out of the game with what turned out to be a knee strain. He hasn't suited up since and he has been relegated to cheering the team on from the sidelines (and last night throwing out Tshirts!). And to add insult to injury, in the same week, they lost another star forward, Caron Butler, for the season due to a patellar tendon rupture that required surgery. There were also a few other players that missed a game here or there due to minor injuries. They even had to pull a player up out of the D League to suit up and play because they were that short on players. So all in all, a rough week for the ol' Mavs. They lost three games in a row that they should have won when they had only lost five games the ENTIRE season. I mean, that is a blow to your pride and ego whether you are a player, coach, owner or a fan. I'm sure that locker room was not a fun place to be after those games. Naysayers started saying that Dallas can't win without Dirk. But you know what happened? After a few losses, and I'm sure a lot of intense practices, the guys started to gel again and become a new team and hit a new stride. They've won the last two in a row and that's a huge boost to their morale.
Why do I write all of this? It's because I started thinking about basketball and how it relates to life and I've been drawing some parallels. That team could've easily said, "It's over, they are right...we can't win without Dirk or Caron". But instead, they regrouped, they didn't listen to the negative speak and they came out with a Can-Do attitude...even after some tough back-to-back losses. What doesn't beat you makes you stronger, right?! That's what being a team is all about and that's how champions are made...it's not one guy (although one really awesome guy helps!) that wins it, but it is a whole team. Championships aren't handed over but they are earned and many times won through some adversity along the way that caused real growth for the team. It's about positive attitude, picking yourself up when the chips are down, and turning a deaf ear to the negative attitude of the world. Tuning out those that say it can't be done. It's about flat refusing to be beat. It's about heart. It's about believing you can win. I predict that at the end of the season, they will look back and say not having Dirk in these few games was the best thing that could've happened to this team. Other guys have stepped up and done an outstanding job. When Dirk is back, that's just going to mean a much stronger team across the board.
Isn't that how life works when you think about it? We all go through tough times but it is very interesting how people handle perhaps the very same situation. Person #1 takes it all in stride and makes a bad situation a defining moment for them and a real touchstone in their life. They can look back and see that situation is what it took to make them who they are and they are better for it. Person #2, gives up, becomes negative and bitter and just loses hope and let's face it....never recovers and they become a miserable person. They listen to those naysayers and they believe the negative and therefore it becomes true. What's the difference in the two? Because in this life, we are never promised an easy ride (and if you've bought that lie, you might want to ask for a return!)...in fact, quite the opposite. It all comes down to attitude, mental toughness and thinking Christ-like thoughts that I believe makes the difference. I believe your attitude can make you or break you as a person. I believe through hardships and trials, no matter how tough they are, that if you keep your identity in Christ and keep that positive attitude and don't give up, that you can and will grow through adversity. It's not easy and it's not fun and there will be some really tough, uphill days...but when you get to top of that mountain, how much sweeter the victory will be!
So with a New Year comes new attitudes and I want to encourage everyone to maybe make an attitude adjustment right now! Fill your mind with positive thoughts and beliefs and surround yourselves with those that do the same. Don't listen to the lies of the world but keep your thoughts Christ-centered. I believe...no I KNOW...it makes all the difference. Do you want to be Person #1 or Person #2? The choice is yours.
Attitude Is Everything!
JOY
PS GO MAVS!
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