Last year Jeremy Lin bounced around the league, getting cut twice and playing in the Development League. In December he got picked up by the Knicks who also rarely played him and twice came close to cutting him themselves. Eight games ago they were forced to start him because they had run out of players.
The rest is history. In two weeks his play has captured the imagination of the world. He’s scored an NBA All time record for first time starters, 200 points and had the second most all time record assists with 78! And more importantly the previously lifeless Knicks have sprung to life under his leadership at the point guard position, winning an incredible 7 of 8 games!
He’s the talk of the basketball world! He’s the talk of the sports world! All in two sensational weeks.
What is he doing different from last year?
It’s only one year. He couldn’t have improved THAT much, so “what is the difference”? That’s the exact question a reporter asked him last Sunday immediately after their last game. Here’s his answer…
“Last year I tried to fit in, I wanted to do exactly what they wanted me to do. I didn’t want to make any mistakes. I played too careful, too cautious. I didn’t feel comfortable. I didn’t feel relaxed.”
One thing he learned about that, it didn’t work.
What’s he doing this year?
“This year I decided I was going to play my way. I was going to be aggressive. I was going to do what the coach wanted but I wasn’t going to hold back. I didn’t know if I would get another chance.
“I didn’t know if I was good enough to have a career in this league but if I didn’t make it, it wasn’t going to be because I didn’t give myself a chance. No matter what happened, I decided I wouldn’t back down, I would stay aggressive and on the attack. I was going to give it everything I had. I decided I wouldn’t back down for any reason and that’s what I have been doing.”
One thing we’ve all learned from observing this, that approach works!
The BIG lessons on winning for us?
- When you get your chance to prove yourself, your chance to shine, give it everything you have. Be aggressive, don’t hold back. If you played scared, cautious, timid…you have no chance.
- The same person who has the potential to be a sensational star can turn into a nobody by being too careful and tentative. When you get your chance to perform in the spotlight, that’s not the time to start thinking about fitting in or to start worrying about what happens if you fail.
- When your moment comes, focus hard on winning and doing everything in your power to make it happen. Put yourself in a position to win. Give it everything you have and if that’s not good enough, at least you won’t have any regrets
