Also read the ebook
Principles That Make Teenagers Great
from our ebook library
It was a real tough obstacle to overcome. No, it wasn’t the fact that he grew up in poverty or that his father was arrested for robbery when he was twelve.There was something else Tyrone had to overcome if he ever wanted to fulfill his dream of becoming a basketball player. Something that seemed to bother everyone else much more than it did him.
But Tyrone never listened to what other people had to say anyway. He still went out for his high school basketball team and not only started all four years, but guided Dunbar High School to a state championship and through two straight undefeated seasons.
“All right,” people said at this point. “High school is fine. But with your handicap, ain’t no way you’re playing college ball.” Wrong again. They underestimated the DESIRE this kid had to play the game. Tyrone wanted it and wanted it BAD. Nothing, not even his handicap, was going to stop him.
After he graduated from high school, Tryone attended Wake Forest college. He played basketball all 4 years averaging 11.3 points, 8.4 assists and 3.1 steals a game. Not bad for a kid with a handicap such as he had.
Then Tryone stated talking about going into the NBA. “Paaa leeese,” people would say jokingly. “Ain’t no way.” People laughed and thought nothing of it. As far as they were concerned, the kid should be happy that he did as well as he did in college. But the NBA? FORGET ABOUT IT!
But once again Tryone believed in what HE could do and not what other people thought he could do. He wanted to play ball and wanted it bad. If only he could get an opportunity to show what he could do. If only the NBA would look past his handicap and give him a chance.
To the amazement to others, Tyrone got the opportunity he hoped for. The Washington Bullets took a chance on him and drafted him in the 13th round. He finally got his “moment in the sun.” But could he prove himself? Was his handicap too much to overcome? Would DESIRE win out over LOGIC or would LOGIC prevail?
To make a long story short, DESIRE did win over LOGIC. Not only did he play in the NBA, but he was the teams (the Hornets) leader in time played, assists, steals, turnovers and has a career average of 11.2 points a game. What’s more amazing is that this man played in the NBA for 11 years in spite of the fact that he was born with the handicap of being only 5’ 3” tall, standing just below the chest of most NBA players. The shortest man to ever play in the NBA with the likes of Jordan and all the other greats.
Tryone “Muggsy” Bogues is a great example of how the desire to want to succeed will win out over the logic to quit if a person is willing to work hard enough to achieve his or her goals. If there was only one poster hanging on the wall in my room to motivate me in WHATEVER goal I wanted to succeed in, it would be that of “Muggsy” Bogues, the little kid who could.
Why was Muggsy Bogues so successful at what he set out to do? Why did he succeed when others his size failed?
One of the reasons has to do with the fact that Muggsy had what is called DIFS.
DIFS stands for the first letter of each of the 4 things needed to accomplish your goals in life. For example, the first letter in DIFS, D, stands for DESIRE or, how bad you REALLY want something? Without a strong DESIRE to succeed at what you set out to do, your goals are nothing more than mere dreams. Keep in mind that there are two kinds of DESIRE: those who talk about achieving their goal (desire of the MOUTH), and those who actually go out and do it (desire of the HEART.). Before you set out to achieve your goals, you need to sit down and determine which type best describes you.
The next letter, “I,” stands for INNER STRENGTH. In the process of trying to reach your goal, you’re going to get knocked down again and again. That’s just the way it is and you need to be prepared for it. How many times you’re willing to get up after being knocked down will determine weather you are successful at reaching your goals or not. Ask yourself this question before trying to achieve your goals: “how many hits am I willing to take before I decide to stay down?” If you think the person you admire most in the field you’re trying to be successful in hasn’t been knocked down repeatedly, you’re sadly mistaken. Do a little homework on their background and see for yourself.
The next letter F is for FOCUS. In other words, concentration. Nothing should distract you from reaching your goals. To help you remember this, keep in mind the following Chinese proverb: “a man who tries to catch 2 rabbits AT THE SAME TIME will catch neither.” If you want to catch 2 rabbits, you need to focus on one first and not get distracted by the other. Once you have accomplished this, then you can go after the other.
The last letter, S, stands for SELF CONTROL. Self control means that the MIND is able to control the BODY. Let’s face it, there are going to be times when you’re not going feel like doing what you need to do to help you reach your goals. If your mind is not strong enough to take charge over your flesh, your flesh will have its way. If this be the case, it would be a clear indication as to what type of desire (mouth or heart) you have chosen.
When you become successful or famous at what you set out to do and reporters ask you “what do you attribute your success to,” just tell them, “it’s all about the DIFS people. It’s all about the DIFS.”
E-mail the author about any questions
or comments you may have
or
about your experiences
regarding this topic.Your information may be
posted on this site
and
may be of some help
to other teens.All e-mails are strictly confidential.
No names will be used.
In this web site, teenage issues and problems
such as pregnancy, suicide, depression,
teen sex and abstinence, divorce and family
problems along with making the right choices
in life are discussed.
