Transform Your Game | Listen
Transform Your Game | Love
Transform Your Game | LoveAs you continue on the journey to transform your game through listening and learning, at some point you will be faced with the question – do you LOVE it?
Some players can rely on their athleticism, talent or even their basketball IQ, but the players who usually have an edge in the game are the ones who LOVE it.
They give everything they have to reach their goals. They play with passion and even inspire others.
We use the word “love” in many different ways, like “I love ice cream,” or “I love my mom,” or “I love the Denver Nuggets.” Clearly these carry huge differences as to what is actually meant by “love.”
Either way (depending on the depth of the connection), asking if you “love” something/someone brings to mind ideas of joy, fulfillment, and willingness to sacrifice.
Basketball
In basketball, transforming your game requires that you are committed to all aspects of the process. The practices, games, conditioning, watching film…all of it.
Your love for the game can be seen by your;
- Energy
- Enthusiasm
- Effort
Energy
As humans, we have a limited stock of energy each day. Therefore, we must wisely choose where we are using and focusing our energy.
Sometimes that means your physical, mental and emotional energies will be spent making plays and giving your all on the court.
Other times that means your energies will be focused on encouraging your teammates from the sidelines.
No matter what, if you love the game – your energy must be fully focused (not distracted) on doing what is BEST for the team in any given situation.
Enthusiasm
Legendary coach, John Wooden, highlights enthusiasm as one of his foundational blocks in his famous “pyramid of success.”
In the pyramid he says; “Enthusiasm brushes off upon those with whom you come in contact. You must truly enjoy what you are doing”
Effort
Your effort is the outflow of your focused energy and contagious enthusiasm. It is a telltale sign of your love for the game.
In transforming your game, you must understand that effort does NOT mean perfection – it simply means giving your BEST.
Back to Coach Wooden – he defined success as “knowing you did your BEST to become the BEST that you are capable of becoming.”
Life
In life, love is one of the most powerful tools for transformation.
In order to experience meaningful change, we must first establish a reason for change. Many times that reason boils down to love.
Just like with basketball, when we truly love something or someone, our energy, enthusiasm and effort will be pointed toward what we claim to love.
The Bible is the ultimate story of transformation through love.
The love of a Creator (God) pursuing His creation (humans) through displays of power, blessing, compassion, sacrifice and a promise of eternal love.
1 John 4:7-11 beautifully expresses this powerful love:
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
Our hope is that in basketball and life you can experience God’s deep love for you and then be able to share that same love with those around you.
Tim Bieri | News Release Basketball Director
Tim has served with NRB for nearly 20 years and coached at the collegiate level for the past 13 years.
