Category: Life

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What LeBron James New Record Setting Milestone Taught Me

On Tuesday, February 7th, 2023, it finally happened. A convincingly unbreakable record held for 38 years was broken, and a new record was set that is on-going. If you haven’t figured it out by now I am talking about LeBron James becoming the All-Time Leading Scorer of the NBA regular season.

Basketball is my favorite sport. Although I was not good enough to make an organized team until joining a summer intramural league in college, I watched basketball on tv since maybe three (maybe before then). You could say I have been a part of basketball culture my whole life. Not just on the court, but I also follow my favorite NBA players off the court as well. And with the evolution of social media my algorithms seem to fix itself on the NBA players of old, present, and new.

Then there’s LeBron James. A man who lived up to the hype before suiting up for his first NBA career game. A man who revolutionized the game, a one-of-a-kind who will be hard to duplicate. What amazes me the most is he’s 38 years old playing like he’s 23. Very few players made it to 20 seasons. LeBron, on the other hand, is in his 20th season as we speak playing like he has 10 more in him.

What has LeBron James new record setting milestone taught me during this Black History Month of 2023? The answer comes in the form of a question. It is what are you willing to sacrifice to achieve greatness in your career, hobby, passion, etc.? You see most of us talk about it but never put in the effort to get started while some of us live in it but don’t have the discipline to get to the next level. Others have luck with little effort and plenty of representation while the remainder actually master their craft.

I have been following LeBron’s career for some time now. What he does during the offseason in preparation for the upcoming season proves why he reaps the benefits of his labor. Luck, namesake, and representation has little to do with how he made it to number 1. I see persistence, discipline, knowledge, understanding, purpose, and evolution in his possession.

This milestone has taught me no obstacle is impossible to conquer when you have the drive to succeed. Despite the odds, we can achieve the impossible whether it happens in our youth or old age. Sometimes we have to make moves that better our chances for success in this life.

Another lesson I have learned from this milestone is failure is inevitable, but no matter how many times we lose to it, we get back up and keep trying until something good happens. With each failure, we must learn and evolve. And even after victory, we keep going to setting new records for the next generation to witness. We know our limits and work with them to reach the ultimate goal of success. Maintaining that tunnel-vision focus that blocks all doubters and critics, how much are we really willing to sacrifice to be the best at what we do?

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My Time Away from Blogging

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Written By: Preston A. Thompson

It has been two months since I posted a new blog. Two months since I unintentionally took a leave of absence from what I love to do: writing and blogging.

It just happened, no real explanation to it. Commuting to work every day I thought about my next series of blogs, but never got a chance to sit and write them down. I don’t know, my best guess is life got busier, and writing took a backseat in my mind.

One would think after the success of my last blog “A Think Piece of Sunday #4: If I Told You One of Your Biggest Blessings was a Rejection, Would You Believe Me?” I would post more frequently. Catching the next wave before the wave I was riding settled, but that did not happen. One of the downsides of when your side hustle is not your main hustle, time.

Please note I had no personal issues during my absence. In fact, my time away has been great! Spending it with family and friends, running behind my son, visiting a new city (thank you for a great time, Raleigh and Apex, NC), attending a Lizzo concert with my wife and family in Atlanta, celebrating Halloween with matching family costumes, learning new things, all of this served as a much-needed getaway. Not a getaway from blogging, but a getaway from my normal Monday through Friday. Time used to enjoy other parts of my life.

Although blogging and writing was not included during the last two months, I had it on my mind daily. Now, I am back! The pencil and notebook are here, the laptop is ready, and the brainstorming is forecasted to be strong. My dedication has been revived to a new level. I am excited to share with the world more of my thoughts and perspectives. I still want to see how far I can go with this blogging. Crafting every part of its future success, it’s the ambition in me that drives my passion for writing.

As I close out this quick blog, I want to thank you all for the follow. I am so excited I have 50 subscribers in my first year of blogging, I thank you all. Please feel free to like and comment on any blog post I have. Share with others that you know. And if you like what you see on my site and want to come along on this journey…join The Book of Think Pieces family by subscribing. Have a great Sunday.

Preston T.

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Believe Blessings Christian Faith Healing Hope Lessons Life Motivational Opportunity Perseverance Perspective Positive Strength Sunday Thankful Thinking Thoughts

A Think Piece on Sunday #4: If I Told You One of Your Biggest Blessings was a Rejection, Would You Believe Me?

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Written By:  Preston Thompson

What is a blessing? The best definition I found comes from Vocabulary.com where it defines a blessing as “…a prayer asking for divine protection, or a little gift from the heavens” (https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/blessing, 2022). In the Bible (NIV Version) 2 Corinthians 9:8 reads, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

We can never receive enough blessings. Just being alive and well is a blessing we should never take for granted. But what if I told you one of your biggest blessings in life did not come in the form of money, acceptance, or healing, would you believe me? What if I told you one of your biggest blessings once came in the form of rejection? Yes, REJECTION! Let me spell it out…R-E-J-E-C-T-I-O-N.

Rejection is not wanted, but it is a part of our lives just as much as acceptance. No one applies for anything hoping to be rejected. If we knew the outcome would result to this, the odds of us applying would be exceptionally low. Each one of us have been rejected from something in our lives. A relationship, friendship, job offer, promotion, school, anything that helps better our lives. Receiving a rejection often triggers sad and regretful emotions, the feeling of not being good enough especially at the time it happens. It can linger in our mind for days, weeks, months, even years wondering if our worth is qualified to move on to the next level in life. We put our best efforts into getting an acceptance only for rejection to tear our hopes and confidence down.

Take it from me, I have had my fair share of rejections in life even when I needed the acceptance more than the others applying for the same position. Growing up in a hometown where “who you know” had more value on receiving an offer than your skillset and character, I wondered if I had bad luck when it came down to getting offers to better my life and increase my experience. I could not get a job as a teenager despite applying to countless jobs throughout the county, I ran for leadership positions and lost by landslides, not making the cut to join teams to build teamwork experiences, etc. I started to question if I really had what it takes to make it in the corporate world. Then I graduated college only to struggle to find a job during the recession era of America. I had the experience and did everything advised to avoid being unemployed after graduation, but none of that experience helped me during that time. Rejection letter after rejection letter, I began to question if my college degree was worth the years put in since I was not receiving the benefits of earning a degree. I even questioned if I did not do enough in college. Despite the hardship of rejection, it molded me to become a stronger person. I learned valuable life lessons from the experience that high school nor college taught me. I gained skills and character that not only helped me receive a job offer, but also learn how to maintain the blessings from acceptance.

Switching gears here. Rejection can be disguised as a blessing that comes in the form of protection tying in our faith. Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) reads, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This means faith is believing something good will happen although you have no clue if that good will come. If good does not come, then faith will convince you that good will eventually come. It may not come how you envisioned it, but the rejection can protect you from the unseen dangers the acceptance never told you about. It is optimism about the future on overdrive. Protection is minimizing the chances of a tough situation that may cause hardship, hurt, or harm physically, financially, and/or mentally from happening in the future by understanding the dangers of a current event based off evidence in the past.

Like a devasting storm that destroys a town. After the storm does its damage, there is a cold period that follows. A feeling of loss and confusion looms over the town wondering how they can recover after the storm, and what will it take to improve the infrastructure. Suddenly good people come to aid of the town after receiving news of its devastation. Before you know it, the town has rebuilt itself better than before the storm. Should another storm happen, the people are more prepared than before. Rejection works in a similar matter when we take the time after it to heal and learn from it. It hurts at those moments and may leave you feeling lost, confused, and down, but there is an unexplained peace that follows.

That is why we must be very mindful of each acceptance. You ever applied for a job, worthless got the acceptance offer, started working the job and a few months in, the job does not satisfy you as it did when you originally started? At some point the money does not matter because your happiness does not align with the job. You find yourself stressed and angry about your job now that you know the truth about it. Anything that goes wrong on the job amplifies your dissatisfaction. Before you know you are back on the hunt for another job. What happened to that good feeling you had when the acceptance first came?

Sometimes acceptance can be fabricated to lure you into a trap. “Accept this job offer. You will earn a livable wage, have a great work/life balance, work with a wonderful staff, and become a valuable member of this team.” That is all you may read before signing the offer letter but read a little deeper and you may discover what is promised may not be reality. Sadly, you may not discover it until you are working at the job. And that is how acceptance can be. An outsider looks at acceptance as a better opportunity from what they currently have. Acceptance will convince you everything will be better, and you got it because you were the most qualified. If we fail to investigate what we are signing up for, we may miss signs that this acceptance is something you should pass on. Before you know it, your acceptance may cause more hardship than what the opportunity was worth.

I am not encouraging rejection. If offered an opportunity in something you worked hard for, I recommend taking the chance. What I am writing is rejection does not always mean failure or giving up on our dreams. We always see rejection as bad; it can be a blessing in disguise. Remember, a blessing does not always come in the form of money, health, or good fortune. Oftentimes, it comes to use as protection. Not just protection from harm and danger, but protection from unseen dangers that may present itself in the future or even protection for our own wellbeing. Sometimes we take on opportunities when we were not prepared and end up more stressed than before the offer was made. Viewing rejection as “God knows what’s best for us” will save us from opportunities that cause more harm than help and life lessons. Allowing rejection to work in our favor can open doors we never knew we were capable of walking through. The main goal is to not allow rejection to make us feel like we are unworthy to success. We should use it as a learning tool to understand why this opportunity that did not work is good and to learn more about ourselves and what we are capable to manage.

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Blog Blogging Hope Lessons Life Motivational Opportunity Perseverance Positive Strength Vibes

Be Patient:  Your Day Will Come

Written By: Preston Thompson

              It is that time of year again. Yes, it is tax season, but I am not talking about that. It is annual raises and promotions season. This year, however, is different. You worked hard all 2021 to be the best employee you can be. You took on extra assignments, put in overtime, and went above and beyond to prove you deserve more than a raise. All year fellow employees praised your work ethic, and finally after putting in the hard work all 2021, you feel that promotion coming.

The day has finally come. You are sitting in the boss’s office as he or she tells you how great of an employee you are, and the organization is happy to have you on board. After minutes of talking, you notice the boss said nothing about a promotion. You get nervous wondering if the job is giving them out this year. Then, you receive the raise, but no promotion. What happened? You do not want to ask what went wrong because it maybe frowned upon and hinder future promotions.

Feeling a little disappointed you go home to forget about it. Remember, with The Great Resignation of 2021 and employers struggling to find help, it is great to be in an organization who gave some raise. Everything is fine, and you are at peace with it. “Next year will be better.” You tell yourself. “I need to work harder.” Then, you log into Facebook and see someone got the promotion you rightfully deserved. Mixed feelings begin to circle your mind as you replay your year at work to see where it could have failed. “Did I do something wrong? Where can I improve? I am happy for this person, but when will I get mine?”

              

If you are reading this and no one has told you, just know I am here to say that you are doing an excellent job! You, yes you, Champ! You are not the only one to get excluded from an advancement. We have all been there, overlooked sometime in our lives for someone who did not put in nearly as much effort as you did.

You are closer than anticipated. It may not be tomorrow or next year, but just know your day to excel and not fail is coming. Continue to strengthen your character and build on your growing profile. Count everyday as a victory. You woke up this morning, you are reading this blog and comprehending what I wrote. You have money in your account despite the rising prices across the US, you have health despite the doctor’s report. You are a champion of the little things that we often take for granted. Every small victory count towards a major win. So what if you did not get that promotion, just know one is on the way. Keep working hard and fitting in where you are most wanted. So what if you are living paycheck to paycheck. With hard work and a little financial management, you will one day be able to achieve financial freedom. So what if you do not have the Instagram body and likes, you are noticed by the people who know and care about you. Who cares if you did not lose thirty pounds last year. If you can walk a mile without getting tired, just know that is a small victory leading up to a 5k run.

Just remember, you are an everyday winner! No one can take that away from you. Focus on being a better version of yourself and working towards your goals. It will all pay off in the end. Trust and believe. Be encouraged!

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Blogging Hope Lessons Life Opportunity Perspective Thinking Work Writing

Walking Out from the Door of Opportunity

Written By: Preston Thompson

Before I begin, I would like to create an imaginary scene. Ready? Keep reading…

               Your eyes open, and you are standing in the middle of a half-acre field. The weather is warm, and the sky is cloudy. Periodically, sunlight shines through the clouds. A seasoned wooded fence painted in dull white surrounds the ends of the field. The grass is dark green with a few small brown spots here and there. Crabgrass and dandelions are spotted throughout the field. You look down at your bare feet wiggling and curling your toes to feel the rough texture of the grass blades underneath your feet. As you rub your feet on the grass hard brown dirt is exposed from underneath the grass. In front of the fence to the left is a regular height apple. It produces small apples dispersed throughout its branches. A wooden basket halfway filled with apples picked from the tree sits under the tree. Across from the tree is a tiny pond. This is home. A place you have been complacent in for years. It has enough to maintain, the field work has been routine and simple.

               Suddenly, the door of opportunity appears in front of the fence emitting a bright yellow light around its corona. At first glance you ponder on the idea of walking through the door because you do not know what’s inside. “Is this new opportunity for me? Will I be as successful as I am now? What does the new opportunity entitle?” More thoughts flood your mind remembering times others talked about the door of opportunity appearing and walking through it is a chance worth taking. Are there better opportunities on the other side? Is the grass greener, and the sun shines brightly all the time? Plenty of people have walking through this door and succeeded. So, what do you do? You open the door and walk through.

               With one hand turning the doorknob then pushing the door forward you walk through. Feelings go from complacent to excited as you take one step in the new field. The first thing you notice is the grass really is greener on the other side with no brown spots. The Sun shines brightly in the sky. This new field measures at one full acre (maybe more) surrounded by a new fence made of white vinyl. In front of the fence to the distant left are two apple trees with an abundance of apples hanging from their branches. There are so many apples on the tree the branches hang low. Resting in the tree’s shade are a few buckets filled with freshly picked apples. To the distant right is a large pond with water so clear you can see the fishes swimming. Without stepping completely through the door, you can already see this field looks better than your current field. It even feels and smells better. There are so many opportunities you can take in this new field with time and preparation.

               Now is your chance to walk through. So, you do. With one barefoot in you already notice how much softer the grass is. The softness of each grass blade rubbing against the sole of your feet feels you with excitement for the new opportunity. “Ok, I’m here,” you tell yourself as you walk through leaving the door slightly cracked opened.

A short amount of time has passed since walking through the door of opportunity, and you start to notice this new opportunity does not feel the same as it did at first. For some time, you thought you were the problem with failing to meet the demands of the field. Unknowingly, you put in more time in this field than before. As you reflect on the time that passed you begin to realize just how much harder and more time you spent maintaining the field. That soft grass you walk on requires more watering days just to maintain its greener appearance. The soil needs to be carefully fertilized to maintain the nutrients. The pond with clear water requires a lot of cleaning, water testing, and replacing just to keep its purity. Those two apple trees that produce an abundance of apples has low hanging branches, but the tree is too high for you to pick them from the ground. And those baskets full of apples are small and lack depth in comparison to the basket at your last field.

               So maybe this new land did not live up to its expectation. Sure, it is plentiful, but the amount of work it takes to maintain its beauty does not meet the visual description.

               You slowly walk to the end of the land, stop at the fence, and turn around to see the door you walked through. It is still slightly open but emits no light. You decide to walk to the door just to see the old field. To your surprise, everything is still the same. There is still a chance to go back, but should you? On one hand this new field of opportunity is very abundant, but the workload is above the expectations. On the other hand, you are still familiar with the old field. It had its problems and lack rapid growth, but the workload to maintain its beauty was at the right level for you to maintain a stable balance between work and peace. After contemplating whether to stay in the new field of opportunity or not, you decide walking through the door back into your old field maybe best.

              

And sometimes, that is how new opportunities (without the visuals) can be when accepting the offer without truly knowing the amount of work it requires. At first it sounds like a dream come true when chances of rapid growth are involved. It’s appealing, new, exciting, and most importantly, it has promise. Your optimism takes over as you begin to work in this new role. But like all things new, it eventually grows older. Once you become accustomed in the new role, that same role loses its “new” adjective, and becomes just a role. What now? Do you still feel the same as you did before or are you realizing this new opportunity does not live up to its expectations? Is it time to look for another opportunity whether it is brand new or going back to a place or position you once worked?

It is in our DNA to chase after new opportunities in hopes that it is better than our last or current role especially when we become dissatisfied with unchanging situations or lack of growth. This may explain why some people move from one job to the next every 2 to 3 years. When our current role becomes dull and commonplace and seems to be going nowhere, we begin to wonder if there is something better elsewhere. Maybe this new opportunity will result in more pay and happiness with better benefits, this new relationship will lead to love and marriage, or a move to a new town/city will equal more opportunities for growth.

What happens when you accept this new opportunity only to discover what you once had may have been better although it lacked in growth and development? It was not perfect, but somewhere in it you maintained happiness over a longer period despite its flaws. Is it wrong to go back when the opportunity reintroduces itself? Notice I gave this blog the title Walking OUT From the Door of Opportunity and not Walking AWAY From the Door of Opportunity. This means you are in your new opportunity but have a chance to return to your last. It’s going back to where you once were after spending time in a new opportunity that no longer satisfies you. Now that you took your former opportunity back, what lies ahead? Do you take your experiences from the new opportunity in hopes that you can change its commonplace culture? Do you forget about those experiences and accept the things as the way they are?