She called me into her office and asked me to have a seat.  In the previous four years, I had never been in “the” office prior to this.

Minutes later I was told that my services were no longer needed.

I stood up, pulled the keycard that I used to enter the building from my wallet and began to smile as I handed in what was to be the end of my television career.

I don’t know why I smiled.

Deep down I was lodged between shock and what am I going to do!?

I had began interning at the station around 22 hours per week as a sophomore in college and here I was, now a college graduate, with no job and no plan.

My demise – surely my loyalty – or perhaps the ability to quickly and sternly formulate a series of words for my mouth to use and the inability to hold my tongue when said loyalty was questioned.

A few days prior, I had been asked by the news director’s sidekick if I was loyal to the new team.  He was a weaselly little man.  I surmised that the reasoning behind his impromptu interrogation was that the sports team had recently turned over and new folks were brought in.  I had more tenure in the department than anyone at the time.

When questioned in a downright negative and assumptive tone, it lit a fire in me.

Keep in mind I had dedicated every weekend of my life for over 3 years and some nights to the television station for 0 compensation.  Communications interns didn’t get paid.  At the time of my firing, I was an actual employee but was making something like 8 bucks an hour, which means you can work a whole lot of hours, get taxed and not have much to show for it.

It wasn’t about the money for me though.  I loved sports and was loyal to the people that had given me an opportunity to have so many amazing experiences.  It was here where I first came face to face with MJ.

So I unleashed a verbal barrage on him in a way that I’m sure most wouldn’t.  I saw years of hard work and loyalty, like most will never posses, flash before my eyes and here was this small shadow of a man, new to the station, questioning me, in an editing bay as I attempted to get video ready for the sports segment of the newscast.

I let him have it – passion dripping off of every word.

He retreated – and that was the end of it, or so I thought.

Four days later I was fired from my first real job.

I don’t regret a word that I said that day.

TV was something that I didn’t feel was ultimately the right fit for me long term anyway.  Having the camera pointed at me, didn’t come natural and on-air jobs were after all, the jobs to have in television.

Shortly after I was let go from the station, I began writing for a local paper.  The sports section of course.  I got paid for space filled.  11 pages on a word document would then turn in to two pages in the paper – they used micro font – and net me a couple of hundred dollars a month.

After a month or two, the mother of one of my long time friends called my mom and the next thing I know I’m interviewing for a bank job.

I didn’t want to do it.  Not the interview.  Not the job.

But I did.

I went, took a personality and aptitude test and then proceeded in the interview to tell them that I would just do this job until my writing career took off.  My goal was to write for Sports Illustrated like Rick Reilly.

I didn’t get the job.

Not at first anyway.

My friend’s Mom had them reconsider – I had tested extremely well apparently (higher than anyone including the President, I would later find out) and with that I was opening checking accounts and talking to people about banking products for 40 hours a week.

They paid me 18,240 dollars a year.

23 years old.  Bachelor’s degree.  Two jobs taking almost every minute and not giving a lot of money back for it.

I wrote for the paper for another year or so before they decided to cut the sports section and then it was just banking for me.

I remember pleading to my parents in their living room one evening early on – “I have a four year degree and they are only paying me $18,240!!!!  Even if I get 10% raises for the rest of my life, I’ll never make any money!”

They replied – you have to start somewhere.

A couple of months in to the bank gig, the President of the bank saw my test scores, called me into his office and gave me a nearly four thousand dollar raise.

That was 13 years ago.

These days, I work in Private Wealth Management for a financial institution, which means that I help high-net-worth clients manage their wealth.

Until recently, (I spent the last 10.5 years at the same institution *loyalty* before moving in September to another employer) I couldn’t even enroll a client, per our wealth team’s enrollment minimums, unless they opened an account with $500,000 or more.

I share this story because I get asked on occasion how I pay for this site and all of the trips to Charlotte, Dallas, Vegas, the camps and training sessions, and everything else that goes along with attempting to make my dream of playing basketball with Michael Jordan come true.

I pay for it with 13 years of faith and hard work.

I’ve been so blessed, but I’ve also worked my butt off.

None of it was handed to me.  Trust me on that.

Anything Is Possible with Faith and Hard Work is something I was living far before the start of mevsMJ.com.

Looking back on those rather humble beginnings allows me to keep pushing in this journey when others would have surely stopped.

I’ve LIVED the power of faith and hard work.

I know where it can take you.

Today, most people likely see one of two things when they view the crust of me.  They either know me through here and see a guy in his mid 30s with a wild dream he tirelessly pursues or they know me as a professional – dressed in a suit, driving a nice car.

Both fail to capture the struggle or help you understand the success.

My parents were right that night, some 13 years ago.

You do have to start somewhere.

Then you have to believe when others won’t and work hard with no defined assurance of success.

Sometimes we can be so shortsighted and fail to see the possibilities of tomorrow because we’re so focused on the realities of today.

I share over and over again that Faith and Hard Work can take you to places your mind can’t even comprehend.

This journey is my way of showing you that.

1 game.

Me vs. Michael Jeffrey Jordan.

Anything is Possible with Faith & Hard Work!

####

If you’re new here, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

Anything Is Possible with Faith & Hard Work!

####

Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Page.

After taking in the farmer’s market in downtown Clermont on Sunday afternoon, my wife and I walked down to the nearby lake.  We walked to spend time together.  We walked to enjoy the gorgeous weather that is a permanent resident of Central Florida.

That simple leisurely stroll ended up sending a jolt through me that I never expected.

Once we arrived at the lake, we decided to make our way down the wooden pier laying itself over the slight ripple of the water.  We proceeded until we came upon an older couple with several fishing poles set up to catch the water’s best swimmers.

A bit inquisitive after seeing such a set up, I asked, “Catching anything?”

I then received a response that has haunted me since the words crawled from the elderly man’s mouth.

Seemingly stuck somewhere between pause and play, he said with a sandpaper tone, “No, not really.  It’s a little too windy.  Just wasting time.“

Bothered, I nodded and we continued to walk, all while those words “wasting time” beat my brain like a Jordan jumper on continuous replay.

Now along the walkway beside the beach, my wife and I took a seat on a wooden bench under the shade of a large oak tree.

We talked, we laughed and enjoyed the time together.

Still “wasting time” had cornered my thoughts.

I wanted to SCREAM at him.

I wanted to tell him that I would take his time, for which he seemed to care little about.

I wanted to tell him that many people were on their death beds praying for just a few more moments.

I told myself that I can never allow my outlook to darken to the point where I’m wasting.

And then perhaps the part of the interaction that made me the most upset was that I knew deep down that I, like him and so many, am guilty of wasting time as well.

That has to end, for me and for you.

me vs. MJ – 1 Game – me vs. Michael Jordan – It’s crunch time.

####

If you’re new here, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

Anything Is Possible with Faith & Hard Work!

####

Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Page.

What a year 2012 was!!!  For me and this journey of mine to play Michael Jordan, it was really, truly a phenomenal year!

Through persistence, hard work and the grace of God, a lot was accomplished.

Still more remains, but reflecting on 2012 and all that happened here amazes me!  I believe reflection is a good thing.  It gives perspective.  It’s not a place to get lost in, but one that is worth visiting once in awhile.

Without further ado, here is what was 2012 for me and mevsMJ.com!

**

Time in the Shark Tank – Mark Cuban

The first major happening of 2012 was a lunch meeting during the first part of March with Mark Cuban.  The second question most people ask, after did he help with MJ, is how many people were in attendance at the lunch.  Answer:  Just me, Mark and my buddy Karol.  Quite the experience for sure.

Most Fun

Throughout the year I made quite a few trips over to Orlando Hoops to train and work on my game.  OHoops is great group of people who challenged me every single time I was there.  One of the biggest highlights for me was working out, side by side, this summer with my main man Robert Brown, who was home from college (Virginia Tech).  Something I’ll never forget!  So much fun!

httpvh://youtu.be/ajY8hDAak98

Most Unexpected

The most unexpected moment of 2012 had to be seeing my pretty face on the NBA on TNT’s pre game show, hearing Ernie Johnson read my tweet, and laughing as Charles Barkley called me Kevin Eller and Shaq correcting him with Kenny.  You never know who’s watching your tweets

httpvh://youtu.be/yHo7yuRHnQY

Greatest Honor

Having the privilege of speaking at the Chandler Parsons/Orlando Hoops basketball camp this past summer was truly an honor.  To be able to share my message with over 100 young people and encourage them to believe in their dreams was for me a dream come true.  Hopefully much more of that to come in 2013.

httpvh://youtu.be/SROFx9HBAHw

**Moment of the Year – Michael Jordan**

The biggest moment of 2012 came in July, when I came face to face with Michael Jordan himself in Charlotte and was able to share what mevsMJ.com is all about!  He loved it!  It still feels like a dream!

httpvh://youtu.be/wnA1goOWwxU

*I also won the hot shot competition while at the Charlotte Bobcats Fantasy Camp.

The Family Knows

Then in November, by chance, I ran into Marcus Jordan, one of Michael’s son and was blown away that he knew all about me and this site.  I am truly known in the Jordan household.  Wow!

New Video Section

Just recently, I created a new video section on the site as a place to showcase all of the non 1-on-1 videos.  I plan on posting more and more videos in 2013, so it should be a lot of fun!

httpvh://youtu.be/oI6X_–AzPA

mevsMJ.com Shirts

I also, within the last two weeks, had some mevsMJ.com “Anything Is Possible with Faith & Hard Work” shirts made.  I’ve given a few away and with the rest, I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with them.  IF I sell them, all proceeds will go to charity.  It’s always been my goal to keep this a revenue free venture.  I never want the reason behind the journey to get clouded.  The goal of mevsMJ.com was and still remains to play my childhood hero Michael Jordan 1-on-1 and to inspire others to believe again that anything is possible with faith & hard work.

####

2013

In 2013 I HAVE BIG PLANS fueled by tremendous FAITH and lots of HARD WORK!

I believe 2013 will be the year that me vs. MJ happens!  

For me, it’s no coincidence that 2 and 3 bookend the year ahead.  I hope you’re ready for me Mr. Jordan!  I’ll see ya on the court!

me vs. Michael Jordan…the journey continues!  As always, thank you for following along!

I am saddened by the amount of negativity that flows through our society.

I am upset that more people take the time to tear someone down (or attempt to) than they do to build others up.

It really, really bothers me.

I’m fairly laid back, but if you want to get my blood boiling, if you want to piss me off, let me hear someone tell another person they CAN’T.

WHO IS ANYONE TO TELL SOMEONE ELSE THAT THEY CAN’T!?!?

When did this happen?  When did sarcasm mix with negativity and become the new cool.

It’s not just happening in office buildings everywhere, it’s happening amongst friends, and still worse amongst family members.

It’s tragic.

The unfortunate truth is, you’ve gotta have THICK skin living in today’s World.

####

Jimmer Fredette

I’m sure James Taft Fredette has been told his whole life by various people that he can’t.

I’m sure he’s been told that he’s not big enough, not quick enough, can’t jump high enough and on and on and on.

Yet, all Jimmer (nickname given by his mother) has done is lead the Nation is scoring with 28.8 points per game and helped his team, BYU, get to a Sweet 16 showdown versus the University of Florida on Thursday night.

If you haven’t seen or heard of Jimmer Fredette, it’s time to wake up from the coma you’ve been in and see college basketball’s hottest player.  He’s a guy that could have a 50 point night any night and he did so just four games ago with 52 of his team’s 87 points against New Mexico.

This is what he has done just in March:

Jimmer will leave that “are you kidding me??  Did he really just do that??” look on your face, he’s that good.  I mean, his name is being used as an adjective!!!

During a four game stretch in January, Fredette dropped a staggering 47, 21, 42, and 43 points.

Jimmermania is taking over basketball and I love every minute of it.  His play has even inspired a rap song, “Teach Me How To Jimmer.”

Teach Me How To Jimmer (video):

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkuqZhi5xQ0

[If you are reading this via email/rss the video may not show up, so click here to see Jimmer]

The reason why I am so thrilled to see a player like Jimmer is because every time he takes a guy to the basket, every time he drills a deep three, he’s shutting the mouths of all those whose life goal is to hurt and destroy.  He’s a silencer of negativity.

He shows that you don’t have to be 6’6″ or taller to be dominate.  He shows that skin color doesn’t matter.

He shows all that whatever you want IS POSSIBLE if you work hard and try!

There is a South African proverb that my friend Roy shared the other day and it states:

“Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it, but he who caught it chased it.”

No matter what happens Thursday and beyond, Jimmer chased the Zebra and caught it.

We all should do our best to do the same.

####

I’ll leave you today with a rap video that his older brother T.J. did called, “Amazing.”  It shows the journey, the struggle, the triumph.  You will be inspired.

Amazing (video):

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsMauWl02vI
[If you are reading this via email/rss the video may not show up, so click here to be inspired!]

Note: Hmm, my bro raps. Now I just need to learn how to Jimmer so I can give MJ my best game!

Injury Update:

Last Thursday I did my first bit of running and then on Friday I did my first jumping (onto an 18-inch box) in over six weeks!!!!! While I don’t feel 100 percent recovered, I didn’t feel any pain when doing either the running or the jumping and what a relief that was!!

I head back later today for the first of five more sessions (3 Physical Therapy/2 Massage Therapy) this week on my road to recovery.  I haven’t been so happy to be sore and achy in quite some time!

Thanks for all of the support!  I’m hoping to announce my next 1-on-1 opponent very soon! Could it be Jimmer? (Hit me up Mr. Fredette! )