Today’s presentation inspired me to believe in myself. This means showing greatness in everything I do. From the classroom to the basketball court I learned that I have to personify greatness. I can do this by working harder than my peers, using and improving on my talents, focusing, emitting positive energy through my actions and attitude, respecting my parents, and most importantly believing I can be the greatest. Furthermore, Anthony taught me that I need a plan if I want to get from where I am to where I want to be. Now I realize education has to be part of that plan, the only way I can compete at a higher level is by graduating and getting a post-secondary education. Also Anthony showed me that experience from trying out for teams on the national or provincial level will prove invaluable in reaching my goal to play in the NBA. The key to balancing my dreams and education will be focus. I have to learn to ignore distractions such as TV, internet, parties, girls, drugs, alcohol, and friends that are a negative influence. Basketball is my dream and I always worried that school would get in the way of me and being the best. The truth is School and Basketball goes hand in hand, school will actually better my chances of reaching the NBA. The real threat to my dream is negativity in any form because it serves as a waste of time, from watching TV to partying on the weekend there aren’t enough hours in the day for these and my dreams. So ultimately I have a choice, greatness or allowing negativity to hold me back. I choose greatness because I am the greatest after all, anything less wouldn’t be worth my time.
Today I was also reminded that my parents are the ones who will always be there for me. Anthony’s story showed me that there is truly nothing stronger than a mothers love. Showing my mother that same kind of love everyday is the least I can do. Seeing a grown man cry for his mother really touched me and tells me that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with loving your parents more than anybody else. I can relate to the promise Anthony made to his mother about fighting because I went through almost the same thing. Fighting got me kicked out of school, cost me a year of competitive high school basketball experience that I will never get back and took a toll on my academics. If I had listened to my parents and kept a promise I made to my dad not to fight on that day I wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble. Instead I took the advice of an older friend I looked up to and almost broke my future along with that kid’s nose. Looking back I see that all the people I thought were my friends are gone and the people still here with me are my family, my brothers and my parents. There’s no value I can put on the energy these people, my family, bring to my life, they’re energy is where I draw my greatness and I know I will always be great as long as I embrace them with the same love and respect they’ve embraced me with.
Energy is key and energy is free. HELLO! It can decide how you see yourself and how others see you. Believe you’re the greatest and you will be the greatest. Others that try and hold you down will eventually be blinded by your magnificence, by your light. Those that embrace it will shine with you lighting the entire world. Every leader that has ever lived and every champion tapped into this infinite pool of energy and didn’t pay a dime; I believe that each and every one of us can do the same. So from now on if anybody ever asks me “do you think you are the greatest?” I’ll say of coarse I do the question is do you?
by Jibar Mahamoud, CYDMS Youth Member
