Nike – LeBron James: I Believe

In May 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected a high school phenom named Lebron James with the Number one overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. In this “I believe” commercial featuring Lebron James the first thing that was mentioned was his very first press conference. During his first press conference, this humble kid from Akron, Ohio declared that he didn't feel any pressure as the top overall pick in the NBA Draft and that he wouldn't guarantee a championship for the team he was playing for. Lebron also spoke about how hopeful he was that the league accepted him as a person, basketball player and leader. Lebron believed in the process that would get him towards that goal.

Believing in yourself is one very important trait in life. One reason why believing in yourself is important is that it creates the right mindset as to how you approach things. Before we can begin to take massive action towards our goals, we as individuals need to create the mindset that will give us the motivation, discipline and mental ability to carry us through to their completion. Based on pass experiences of our success and failures and the mental conditioning of those around us, mainly through our childhoods, we develop a self-belief of the person we are. On many occasions we have created limiting belief systems and act in accordance with these beliefs. A famous quote from Henry Ford, is that ‘Those that believe they can and those that believe they can’t be often both correct’. Therefore, creating and holding a strong positive self-belief is essential to the achievement of our goals.

For Lebron to get to where he has been as a success in not only in the NBA but as a central figure in society is the ability to acknowledge what he must improve upon. In 2011, Lebron James and the Miami Heat lost to the Dallas mavericks in the NBA Finals 4-2. After that series, Lebron James was criticized for his performance in that finals. Many of those individuals who criticized him saying that he would never approach Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player ever. Some even calling Lebron a “choker”.

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Lebron himself took that criticism to heart. "I wasn't that good of a player in that series. I wasn't a complete player"(Espn.com). Lebron said. “That Dallas series is a big part of why I am the player that I am today. (Espn.com)” Lebron critiqued himself from that and from that series on, Lebron would then go on to go to lead his teams to eight straight NBA Finals. That ability to believe in yourself is a big reason why.

Another reason why believing is important is that creates belief in others. Despite all the efforts and achievements that can be made in life it is important to accept that there is no such thing as a 100% self-made person. At certain stages in our lives, we have all had support, guidance and direction. Whether it is as financial support from parents, an advice from a close friend or if a stranger you meet at a random place gives you support from whatever issue you are dealing with. There is always someone who has a belief in you. They all have played a helping hand in shaping you to the individual that you are today. It is that level of confidence and commitment that we demonstrate through our actions and when communicating with those that are around us that inspires other individuals to either take a chance on us or support us on our journey towards our goals.

Another reason as to why believing is important is that it increases self-confidence. It can be argued that which comes first self-confidence and then belief or vice versa. Lebron James as he got more experience in the NBA developed more of a self-confidence. In Lebron’s first three seasons in the NBA, his statistics increased. His points per game increased from 20 to 27 to 31. His field goal percentage increased from 41% to 47% to 48%. As Lebron matured into developing self confidence as a basketball player, the team he was playing on improved. The Cavaliers win record increased all three years after Lebron James was drafted. From 35 wins to 42 wins to 50 wins. Self-confidence is a skill we as individuals can all develop by conditioning and reaffirming our minds to hold a strong set of positive beliefs.

On the court, what makes Lebron great is his ability to believe in his teammates. Lebron throughout his basketball life has made a habit of making players around him better. Lebron has 8,662 career assists which is tenth all time. With the impact of Lebron he was able to lead his teams to three NBA championships. In 2016, Lebron James was able to pull off what no one was able to do and that was comeback from a 3-1 deficit and defeat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. That Golden State Warriors basketball team went 73-9 in the regular season in 2016. That happened to be the most wins in an NBA season in NBA History. The previous win-loss record was held by the Chicago Bulls in 1996.

The last reason why believing in yourself is critical is because it gives us a peace of mind and it reduces stress. Building self-confidence and a belief in our abilities to achieve new and existing challenges can reduce stress and anxiety significantly in our everyday lives. As our confidence in ourselves grows more, the everyday situations in our personal lives that may have previously created a level of anxiety will begin to have less influence on us. Areas such as personal conflict, public speaking, or being in uncomfortable work environments deadlines will no longer pull on our mental resources and will allow us more intellectual energy to take on new challenges.

Believing in yourself also requires you to act accordingly. For example, Michael Jordan failed countless times in his basketball career. Michael has admitted countless times, that he has missed thousands of shots and lost hundreds of basketball games. However, he realized that it is a part of the process, so he used it as a driving force to work even harder. Michael Jordan also emphasizes his failures that has enabled him to endure huge success. One of Michael Jordan’s famous quotes “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying.” is a quote that holds true to this day to many other individuals today. One that also hold true to individuals such as Lebron James.

In conclusion, believing in yourself is one very important trait in life. One reason why believing in yourself is important is that it creates the right mindset as to how you approach things. Another reason why believing is important is that creates belief in others. Believing is important is because it increases self-confidence. Believing in yourself is critical is because it gives us a peace of mind and it reduces stress. Lastly, believing in yourself also requires you to act accordingly. Individuals such as Lebron James used these traits in believing in himself to turn himself into the successful basketball player and human that he is today.

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