I’m a fan of Lebron James. There, I said it. I know a bunch of people don’t like the guy. He’s made some mega blunders and he’s acted monstrously egotistical at times. But I’m not sure I’d be much different than that if I was where he is.
You see, the guy’s 21 days older than me. And he was launched into fame right out of high school. He was so good at basketball, he skipped the college leagues and went straight into the NBA. And he was even amazing there. He had immediate fame at the age of 18.
Do you remember who you were at age 18? Probably. And imagine if you hit stardom then. You wouldn’t even know what to do with yourself. You’d probably party it up, buy lots of junk, and make stupid remarks on live television. Because you, like Lebron, would have had no vision for your fame.
Most of us can’t handle fame because we have no plan for it. We have no idea how we’d leverage our fame for good if we had it. So what would we do with it? We’d consume it on ourselves.
There are so many good things in life—money, fame, power, possessions, friends. Those are good things. But they become evil if we don’t have a plan to use them properly.
Lebron has all those things, and has used them poorly. Bono has all those things (maybe more than Lebron), but seems to use them wisely. The things aren’t bad, it’s how we use them.
And most of us have no idea how we’d leverage those things for good if we got them overnight. That’s why overnight successes are so quick to burn out.
Don’t wish for overnight success. Work the process. Learn what it takes to earn those things and make plans along the way to leverage them. It’s okay to reach toward those things as long as you have a goal for them.
If you want to be rich and famous so the paparazzi follow you around and spread rumors about you, you’re being ridiculous and you can’t handle the fame. But if you’re looking to make an impact on the world, go for it. And start now…before you’ve arrived. You don’t need the fame to make a difference.
Lebron is a beast! Love this blog