My shoulder hurts.  The right one.  The one I’ve used over and over again during my life to make thousands upon thousands of shots.

It’s painful.  I’ve never been stabbed, but if I were to guess what that feels like; it would be how my shoulder feels most of the time these days when I shoot the basketball.  Sharp stings.

The cause, I can only trace back to the large stacks of push-ups I did on a nightly basis during the NBA playoffs.  Not the brightest thing I’ve ever done.  I’ve had massages, treatments and have done my best to stay away from the courts as much as possible over the last two months, in an attempt to let it heal.  But I missed the game.

This week I said hello again to the game I love.

***

Thursday evening, after an hour and a half of makes and misses wrapped in pain, I sat down and talked some basketball history with a friend at the rec center.  We talked about MJ of course.

It was my third trip to the courts in the last four days.

Each day a bit better than the one before it, I could see my shot beginning to shine more and more and resemble its former self as I polished away.

After 20 or so minutes of conversation, I got up and asked my friend, “How many makes in a row before I leave today?”

He spat back, “10…wait, are you talking free throws?”

I said, “No man, threes!”

“You can’t make 10 threes in a row,” he quipped.

I shook my head at his lack of belief and responded, “OK, you just sit there and watch.”

44 Minutes

I honestly expected it to take me less than five minutes for me to make 10 three pointers in a row.

A few months ago, making 10 from downtown was easy earned.  I won’t say easy, because that would be a lie.  I’ve earned the right to make shots through tons of repetition.  It was never easy.

After just two or three minutes I was up to 8 in a row.

Miss.

Make, make, make, make, make…miss.

This pattern continued for the next 44 minutes as I shot one ball after the other.

Soaked with effort down through my socks, legs tired, arm fatigued, shoulder smarting, quitting without a doubt crossed my mind.

The thoughts, who would know or care if you stopped now and it’s ok to quit because you should take it easy on your shoulder, said hello.

But I refused to quit and kept shooting.

Then it finally happened.  14 makes in a row later I had accomplished my goal.

Where You Find Success!

Success isn’t as hard to find as people say it is.  It’s found right behind faith and a lot of hard work.

If you want success, just do what you say you’re going to do!

It won’t be easy.  But it’s possible!

While I was shooting, two others joined me in the task of making 10 three pointers in a row.  They were both really good shooters and one of them even got to 9 in a row once.  But they both quit before realizing the goal.

Today I know that I was the best shooter in that gym…and so do they.  That’s a HUGE difference in mindset and it comes by DOING or the lack there of.

The Magic is Within You!

A great friend of mine, Robert Brown, has a saying.  He says, “It’s no magic trick.  If you work hard you’ll be better.”

He’s right.  The magic is within you!

Two Things That You Control Today, That WILL Change Your Tomorrow

Success comes down to what you believe and the effort you put forth.

You control both of them.

Now you don’t get to control much in life, but you do control what you believe and how hard you work!

Belief

I consistently and constantly feed myself encouragement.

It’s going to be a great day!  I will be blessed in my business!  I am a great shooter!  I am a great writer, I am a great speaker, and on and on and on!

Now I want to improve in all things, but I feel that I’m destined for greatness!

That’s not being cocky.  That’s living your purpose!

You have to see it to believe it!

You have to believe it before you can achieve it!

Hard Work

Then I take that faith and belief and work really, really hard.

I keep going when others stop, because I’ve already seen my success!

I know I just need to have faith and keep working hard!

Michael Jordan and My Dream

Before I shook hands with Michael Jordan and told him about mevsMJ.com, I saw it happen!

I’ve seen the 1-on-1 game with MJ!

I’ve seen myself speaking to thousands, encouraging young and old what I believe, that Anything Is Possible with Faith & Hard Work!

I’ve seen lives changed!

What Do You See?

Whatever your mevsMJ.com is, I know it’s possible!

You’ve just got to have faith and you’ve got to work hard!

It’s waiting for you!

I will play Michael Jordan and impact lives!  What are you going to do?

me vs. MJ…the journey continues!

####

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!

####

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

They say it will never happen.

They shake their heads and quietly chuckle.

They try to introduce doubt.

They pour their pessimism all over me and expect me to wilt.

They question my motives.

They call themselves my friends.

But…

They don’t know how badly I want this.

They didn’t see the tears or hear me as I cried alone in my car 16 months ago, because I didn’t want to leave.

They didn’t feel the pain or the push as I went through rebuilding my leg.

They haven’t seen the countless emails and tweets I’ve written or the calls I’ve made.

They haven’t boarded the planes or driven the hours in an effort to make it all happen.

They didn’t see my head droop after the worst beating of my life and they don’t know that it inspired me to work harder.

They haven’t seen the thousands of makes, when I’m alone in the gym.

They don’t know what it’s like to feel the pain of a “no” from those that have the ability to help…or what it’s like to keep pressing forward.

They don’t know what it’s like to come face to face with Michael Jordan…twice!

**

They are powerless against my journey and yours.

***

Maybe these words are for you.

Perhaps you want to be the best player on your team and currently you’re not even close.

Maybe you just want to be happy.

They have controlled you, your entire life, and you’ve let them.

It’s time to stop listening to them.

It’s time to listen to yourself.

Only you know how badly you want it.

Now show the rest of the World.

If you work hard enough, one day THEY will tell you that they always knew you could do it.

####

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

####

If you’re new to the site, 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!

[If you’re reading this post via email or RSS and don’t see the video above, click here to go to actual post.]

It was game four of 2-on-2 this past Saturday.  After having scored eight points in a row, I was struggling.  I was gassed and couldn’t find my wind.

Hands on my knees, stripped of energy, I pleaded to my brother, my teammate, slow it down!

An hour and a half before I had been bent over and clutching my bathroom sink, throwing up.   I wasn’t feeling well, but I didn’t let my opponents know that.

When I got to the gym that morning, as I attempted to force down an energy gel pack, I mentioned to my brother in passing that I had been sick earlier.  I then proceeded to let him know that I’d be fine and walked onto the court to warm-up.

I wasn’t fine, but I wanted to play.  I needed to play.

Now in game four, that need, had me running on fumes.

Up 8-3, I made my way to the three-point line and received the inbounds pass.  As my brother began running to the opposite wing, in an almost whisper like tone, he said, “Michael Jordan.”

A thousand images flashed through my mind in a split second.  I saw MJ back in Utah, wrinkled jersey, playing not on energy, but with HEART!

I pump faked, jab stepped to the middle, and went hard left for the lay-in.

9-3.

Success in life isn’t as much about winning or losing, as it is about NOT QUITTING!

An amazing friend of mine posted the following quote on the mevsMJ.com Facebook page the other day:

“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.” – George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian.

Last Saturday, my body wanted to quit, but my MIND and my HEART would not allow it!

We played seven games that morning and won four of seven.  We battled when we WERE NOT at our best!  We battled when MOST might have quit.  We battled because SUCCESS doesn’t come easy.

When you fight through struggle, YOU APPRECIATE the good times even more!

At some point this weekend, I will walk out on the basketball court ready to play.  Because of what happened this past Saturday, I will know exactly what I’m capable of when my body screams at me, “You’re tired!!”

I will know that to QUIT is not an option in this journey.  To LET UP is what others do.  To fight through the pain is what WINNERS like Michael Jordan do!

Michaaaeeeeel Jorrrrrrdaaaan….

Who’s ready to get better?!?!  Who’s ready to fight for their dreams?!?!

me vs. MJ…the journey continues!

The “Flu Game”

Here is video of Michael Jordan’s incredible 1997 NBA Finals performance in Game 5 against the Utah Jazz.

httpvh://youtu.be/OLQl7UJOYUs

When I was a kid all I wanted to be was RICH! (Chris Rock’s voice and going forward anytime you see RICH, it’s in Chris Rock’s voice.)

Big house, nice car, lots of money…RICH!

My parents say that when I was just five years old we walked into a restaurant and I proclaimed, “Ooooh, this place is expenssis (how I said expensive back then)” as my eyes lit up with joy! (btw, it was Quincy’s haha, not so high end, but what did I know?  I was five!)

That childhood wonder and fascination with wealth followed me through my adolescence and early adulthood.

I was gonna be RICH and successful!  I had to be.  I remember being a teenager and watching the movie Pretty Woman starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, with my parents.  I knew then, that’s the guy I wanna be! (minus the hooker of course)

He was RICH!  He was successful!

That was going to be me!

Fast-forward to where I am today and the truth is I’m extremely blessed and beyond thankful for all that I have.  I think most would say that I’ve achieved some level of success, at least if they viewed success in the limited manner in which I once viewed it.

I learned something though, from those wonder years to my current profession of wealth management…being RICH (Chris Rock’s voice, don’t forget and I’m not btw) doesn’t make you successful.

What Makes Someone Successful

Throwing the baseball or football with your son after an all I want to do is sleep 65-hour workweek.

Buying a wide-eyed dreamer a pair of shoes (Jordans) that cost more than the last four pairs you owned yourself combined.

Taking the word “can’t” out of a kid’s vocabulary so early on that it’s one of his oldest memories.

Attending every basketball game, no matter the distance, even though the one you’re there to watch barely plays.

Putting up with the constant peppering of the orange Spalding ball against the driveway as that same kid worked his ass off to get better.

Giving up the living room television on odd weekday nights and weekends, no matter what you had planned on watching, so that your two sons could watch their hoops heroes.

Instilling a belief that all things are possible so deeply in the minds and hearts of those you helped raise.

Lending an ear and actually listening as long as a rambling kid can talk.

Offering sound advice with a sense of confidence that would make any person march forward!

Dropping everything to help plant bushes, hang fans, install lights, fix plumbing, assemble furniture, and even move.

Being available, ready and willing.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY…Making sure that your two sons now 34 and 28 have felt loved every single day of their lives.

That’s success.

That’s my Dad, the most successful man I know.

Happy Upcoming Father’s Day Dad! Love ya!

You (and Mom) are the reason I am the believer and dreamer I am today!  Thank you!

(Note:  For inquiring minds, in the picture above my Dad was 32 yrs old, I was 7 and my brother was just 1. :-D)

####

Me vs. Gebru! (THIS SUNDAY!!)

This Sunday it’s test time.  It’s time to see if I’ve improved since Garfield Blair and this time the test is going against 6’4” Andy Gebru (see video below), who prior to this past season had a workout with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs and currently plays professional hoops in Brazil.

Everyone I run into that knows of Andy tells me the same thing, with that did you loose your mind face, “Andy’s really good!”

I just smile.  I know he’s going to be great!  That’s why we are playing.  There is nothing ordinary about this journey of mine to play Michael Jordan.  Not one thing!

me vs. MJ…time to put on that game face!

Video of Andy Gebru playing in Brazil:

Go to 1:56 to see him posterize a guy with the game on the line!

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

[If you’re reading via RSS/Email, Click Here to see video]