YOU VS. STEPH CURRY

Kim Parnell
Jul 10, 2017 · 3 min read

What is the goal of a basketball team in the NBA?

To win the championship right?

But do we not celebrate every win all season long? Of course we do!

Because every win gets us closer. You can’t win the championship unless you win the small games leading up to it.

So why don’t we do the same for ourselves on our journey?

Yes, you have a big goal, but the day in/day out work is what will get you there. The weekly wins get you closer to your goal, and by the same token the losses don’t prevent the big goal until they outweigh the wins. And even then, the final tally isn’t until the very end of the season. A team can lose multiple times in a row and still come back and make the playoffs.

But in order to do that they need to treat every game like a golden opportunity, and come into it with enthusiasm and the belief they will win.

Can you imagine a team in the NBA losing 5 games in a row and then saying “Ah screw it, this is too hard. I’m going to go do something else.” Or not making playoffs one year, so they dissolve the team and forego the next season entirely? Obviously not.

With that, please remember your spot at the top is not owed to you. If you are fortunate enough to get there, you must also remember your position is not stable.

“The NBA, like entrepreneurship, is not a cushy union that has to keep you afloat once you get in.”

In both business and professional sports teams friendships will surely form. But when the numbers hit the board you better be producing results. If not, bye bye.

So how do you get to the top and stay there once you’ve arrived?

Practice.

Every. Single. Day.

The NBA is home to some of the best athletes in the world, and they still practice daily. Sometimes twice a day.

It’s easy to brush that off with a reference to how much they get paid, or to claim that “that’s their job”, which is true.

But how many of you are practising YOUR game every single day?

Maybe you give sales presentations.

Maybe you deal with difficult customer service issues.

Maybe you help people achieve their goals as a trainer or a coach.

What are you doing outside of the hours you are paid for to stay at the top of YOUR game?

Are you researching new strategies? Learning new skills? Giving yourself difficult challenges?

If guys that have been labelled the best in the world still know they need to practice, improve and grow to stay in the game, why on earth do you think YOU’RE safe?

It’s time to start treating yourself like Steph Curry, Lebron or even the sorry ass Leafs for my Torontonian readers. Put in the work, set your eyes on the prize and believe in yourself until you and Steph are neighbours.

Kim Parnell

Written by

I’m the co-founder of a tech startup with crazy ideas, strong opinions and a constant need for personal growth.

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