I’m not sure I’d go so far as to call it a popularity contest, but you can’t be a dickhead and expect to be promoted very far…
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It’s more just the mentality of the statement. The idea that just because you don’t like the way something operates gives you license to not participate. I mean, you certainly have that FREEDOM, but it comes with consequences.
I’m incredibly cynical and have a low opinion on humanity as a whole, but I know that always expressing that is a surefire way to go nowhere in the world. Hell, I’m also incredibly introverted, but I’m aware that being quiet all the time and never interacting with others gets you painted as weird or an a-hole, and so I know how to be outgoing and boisterous.
One of the most valuable lessons my dad ever taught me was “You can swim much further downstream in an hour than upstream in 3”.
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I didn’t get it when I was young. And neither did my parents. The lessons I learned from them were ‘just get great grades, you’ll outsmart the room’, essentially. I had a shitty work ethic growing up because I was smarter than everyone and I could skate on ‘talent’. I thought I was better than other people because I was smarter. And I thought that this gift was going to be all I needed to succeed in life.
Nope.
Nope nope nope.
I know first-hand how poorly this works out. When I got out of high school and went to college, I was totally unprepared for the real world of college, much less the world after that. But fortunately, I didn’t stick my head in the sand, and I learned to be personable. I stopped being the ‘well, ACTUALLY’ guy.
In my early 20’s, when I went through AA, I learned to stop blaming other people for my problems. I learned to accept my part in EVERY shortcoming in my life, even those that seemed to be entirely due to someone else. I learned more through that program about basic life skills than I ever learned in school or from my parents. I learned to be a decent person. And now, my life doesn’t suck.
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You guys are great people, I’m thankful for all this advice.
Thought this was fitting here:
wow. great story. Absolutely LOVE the player’s tribune, man.
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Somebody walked off with my fucking ball at the gym today. I’m such a damn fool.
I don’t mean to complain, but I need solutions.
I have a herniated L4-L5 disc in the exact same spot as my father and his mother.
I have flat feet inherited from both of my parents.
No natural athleticism or talent.
Extremely slow body. I move like a frozen turd. No fluidity or coordination. Like I feel like a muscle headed 5 year old.
I’m not even strong anymore, that 405lbs squat is gone now, I’m weak, and I’ve lost weight.
This shit is so stupid. I ask the top players in my city on snapchat and shit “how do i get like you” they say “work hard and stay positive”. I work hard and stay positive but it just seem like everyday is another reason to throw in the towel. I can’t even stretch and move right because it pulls the nerves from my disc taut.
I ask the crazy athletic guys I meet at my gym. One guy was a little taller than me dunking between his legs. I asked him how he did it. He said " I don’t know." This same guy smokes dope every day and doesn’t even practice as much as me. No one fucking knows shit. I ask everybody. They talk about calf raises and leg press amd bike riding as the vertical increaser, I laugh hiding hate.
Damn, why couldn’t I be born with talent. I only started lifting weights as a means to jump higher. Now I can’t touch my toes and I’m weak as fuck again. Like what the actual fuck. Then these talents call me garbage.
This very feeling if helplessness makes me want to work harder.
You have to do it for longer. You’ve only been playing for 2 years; they’ve been playing their whole lives. You can’t make up for time.
EDIT: Also
You were born with 2 arms and 2 legs and have a fairly good idea of where your next meal is coming from. I think you got a pretty good deal.
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You’re right let me stop bitching
Still the sickest burn on this forum
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What you described is raw athleticism. As we mentioned before, this is something you’re either blessed with or not. No amount of training is going to get you as athletic as some of those people, the reason you’re not getting the answers you want is because they honestly don’t know how they got that good. They were going to be really good at sports no matter what sport they played pretty much.
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I didnt even know that was a burn
I should at least get athletic enough to dunk though, right?
It wasn’t. I think you would appreciate the book.
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He meant for you to read the book and then kill a celebrity (John Lennon according to South Park).
I’m sure you’ll be able to dunk one day, but the guys you were talking about seem to be on a far different level than you as far as athleticism goes. That won’t change, so work on the things that you CAN improve on, like shooting the ball, dribbling, decision making. Those things will only get better with real game experience.
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I see.
They are giving you an answer, but that is not what made them athletic, they just don’t know what else to say and are being nice. They were born/gifted with athleticism. Hard work can certainly help, but hard work is not what makes Lebron James 6’8" with a 40inch or whatever vertical.
Everybody is born with different degrees of talents. Some people are smarter than others, some are more athletic, some are good looking…etc. You should stop worrying about what you don’t have (basketball athleticism) and build on what you do have. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun playing basketball, you absolutely can even if you never dunk. Shit, buy a hoop and put it at 9’ to have fun dunking.
Find out how you can contribute. If you love basketball and want to be around the game you could be a translator for Chinese players, team manager, team trainer, or something else that fits your skillset.
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5-10 years from now I’ll bet you’ll be in quite a bit better position as the smart kid who isn’t naturally great at basketball than the dope smoker who could dunk between his legs.
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