Never say die.

Basketball is one of the well-known sports in all time throughout the world. I grew up watching this game and loved this sport because we usually watch it at home as my father really is a lover of this sport. I am a proud Ginebra team (Never say Die) fan. Well, I am an avid fan of Bal David, Vince Hizon, Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Healtherbrand.

Well, life is similar to basketball. It bounces up and down. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Winning is most rewarding thing but in losing, we should always learn to accept failure with grace. Because both are worthwhile experience as you have exerted efforts and were driven to achieve your goal. Like in life, we don’t always get what we want or goes smoothly as we planned it. There will always be highs and lows but if you continue to give always your very best in everything you do, and it will lead you to greater things. It is just a matter of attitude.

I have listed some of the important things you learn in playing basketball that are applicable in real life situations.

Be a team player.

Basketball is a team sport, coordination and team work is essential. Just like in life, it is an important skill most especially at work. We achieve bigger goals if we work together with one common goal.

Overcoming obstacles.

In basketball, it is never easy to win. There are certain things that might hinder you from winning like for example, key players get injured. In life, obstacles shouldn’t stop you from your goal, we have to develop a positive mentality on how you will manage the situation given such circumstance.

Discipline.

All of you will agree that discipline is essential in both life and basketball. It is the road that connects you towards your goals and accomplishments. To be extraordinary you need discipline.

Never give up.

Like Ginebra’s tagline “Never say die”, a few minutes can change the game, keep trying until the very last second. In life, there will be certain instance that would make you take the easy way out and give up, you need to hold on and brave the storm. Don’t give up.

Believe in yourself.

Both basketball and in life, we must believe in ourselves, in our own abilities. It is one of the key to success and happiness.

Hardwork.

In order to attain success or excel into something, you need to work hard. There is definitely no shortcut. There is no substitute to hardwork.

Life and basketball game can be similar in a lot of ways. You cannot go through it without other people. Time flies so fast, so take many chances as you can and take advantage of every precious time you have. It is not everyday a good game or a day to be the best one. Take shots don’t constantly pass. You need to believe in yourself. If you must pass, make it, assist each other towards a common goal. Use failures or missed shots as learning experience to do better the next game or day. If you fall after a jump shot, stand up and fix yourself and continue playing. There is always a chance for another jump shot. Keep on trying and believe you can.

~all photos taken by me using my nikon d90 except for one picture I am in.~