About a month ago I was very fortunate to score seats to Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne concert. I have seen many legendary bands play including Aerosmith, Metallica, Linkin Park (with Jay Z), and Snoop Dog, but I have to say, this was one of the best concerts I have every been to. Jay-Z and Kanye absolutely brought the house down from start to finish playing songs from their new collaborative album (Watch the Throne) and many of their classic songs that everybody loves. Watching these two artists perform was truly something special, and it made me really think about the title of their album, Watch the Throne. As I sat there and marvelled at their performance, I realized that I was truly watching the throne. I was watching two kings of hip hop come together at the pinnacle of their careers to create an amazing album and put on, what many are calling, one of the best hip hop concerts of all time. This album and this tour is about the power of the partnership and how coming together with the right person or people can make you better. Of course these guys have put on great shows during the course of their careers, but when arguably the greatest rapper ever (Jay-Z) joins forces with a guy who was just nominated for seven Grammy awards (Kanye) success becomes inevitable.
If it is success that you seek in 2012 then perhaps it is time to form partnerships with like minded and successful people. I have read over and over that, “you are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with.” I firmly believe this statement to be true. The people you associate with can make a profound difference in the quality of your life and your performance on the basketball court or any field of play. I am sure that if we think about it, we have probably all worked with someone in the past that we have considered inferior. Someone who just breathes laziness. It is frustrating to be a part of and aggravating because you end up having the do all of the work to make up for their short comings. This is the partnership that you need to avoid, because it will get you absolutely no where fast. Good partnerships are with those people who are like minded and driven will push you to be a better person and a better athlete. They will hold you accountable for your mistakes and make sure that you correct them. They will make you better. Bad partners offer excuses and get you to believe them. They find other activities to do that detract you from your goal. They are not something that you need to be a part of if you want to be successful.
Success comes from hard work and determination. It comes from being pushed over and over again until you are out of your comfort zone. This is very difficult to do on your own and it never hurts to have some help. So, before 2012 begins step back and evaluate yourself and those you associate with the most. Are these people driving you to be the best that you can be or are they pulling you further and further away from your goals? If it is the latter, then perhaps it is time to find some other people to work with. Associate yourself with like minded and driven people, with people who will make you better and help you achieve your goals. Could Jay-Z and Kanye have continued to be successful on their own? Absolutely, they have already proven that, but it is questionable as to whether they could have put on one of the greatest hip hop tours of all time without each other. Individually, they are already at a high level, perhaps the highest, but they partnered up and have found a way to make each other even better. Jay-Z and Kanye have annointed themselves kings and we watched their throne in 2011. The question is, will people be watching your throne in 2012? The choice is entirely up to you.
May you all have a healthy and prosperous 2012.
Committed to taking your game to the next level,
Rich Stoner
Elite Basketball Training, LLC
