I use a lot of sports analogies in my work and content. It’s amazing to me how many people who follow my work are not at all interested in sports but completely relate to these analogies. Today will be no different.
As trivial, oversaturated and excessive professional sports can be- especially when it comes to salaries- the examples that come from it are some of the most real, relatable and educational than any industry that I study. Maybe it’s because it’s the only real reality show out there. Much of what is put out there is contrived, orchestrated and fake, while pretending to be real.
Professional sports are hard to fake- especially when it comes to real life emotions, egos and accomplishments while the cameras and eyeballs are watching in real time. We all think that more money will take all of the pressure and negative emotions away, but professional sports often prove the opposite- money can actually amplify those feelings. And often not for the better.
Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most famous and successful professional athletes of the past few decades. I remember seeing him play during his rookie season for the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, and he had an aura that followed him even during his first season. He had all of the makings of the next great superstar- size, talent and personality.
All of the signs pointed toward the Magic becoming dominant over the next decade with O’Neal- standing more than seven feet tall- and his partner in crime, Penny Hardaway, as the talented point guard to lead the franchise to glory.
But after only four seasons of playing for the Magic, Shaquille O’Neal left for the Los Angeles Lakers. All that was left behind in Orlando was one trip to the NBA Finals where the Magic were swept by the Houston Rockets and a potential legacy that never happened.
Years later, O’Neal explained why it all went wrong in Orlando when it appeared to have the makings of a potential dynasty.
O’Neal said that he was confident that they could have won at least one championship, if not more. But something bigger than basketball got in the way.
“When you are young and stupid, you chase useless titles,” O’Neal admitted.
“When I got there, I was the man, but when Penny got there, he thought he was the man. We were fighting over useless titles that didn’t make sense. The year before I left, Penny sat out because he wanted to get more money, which is fine with me. I know if you get 100 million, I have to get 150 million. They gave it to him, but when it was time for me to get my money, they disappeared.”
O’Neal is worth around 400 million dollars right now. It’s been reported that he has never spent a dime of his NBA salaries- he invested them all from the beginning. He has said that he lived off his endorsements from the beginning.
He admitted that he chased a useless title. The title he was chasing wasn’t about money. It wasn’t about championships. It wasn’t about legacy. It was about ego. It was about insecurities. It was about beating someone else instead of working together to create the best situation they could create.
It’s amazing how often we chase useless titles.
-We focus on the number of subscribers instead of the impact made.
-We obsess on the few people who didn’t appreciate us- and seek validation- instead of feeling happy with the impact that we have made on the people that we helped.
-We compare our income to someone who has been doing something similar but they have been doing it much longer. That gets us dissatisfied, feeling inadequate and feeling like a failure.
– We work to build a certain size business because we see others doing it when what we really want is to build a business that allows us to be better parents and be more present with our family.
– We stay stuck because our parents discouraged us, but we know we have way more to give than a few people believe.
-We give up freedom and autonomy for a made-up title that has no real value.
These are all things that have been described to me in past conversations as useless titles that people have chased that they didn’t value. The problem is that they didn’t figure out what they really wanted before chasing that title.
O’Neal said that when we are young and stupid, we chase useless titles. But we don’t have to be young and we don’t have to be stupid to chase these titles. We just have to not be in alignment with what we really, truly want in life.
In one of the first lessons inside of Total Life Freedom School, I ask the question pertaining to what kind of a life they want in three years that doesn’t have to do with the work that they do.
Do you know how rarely anyone gives this question much thought?
Without answering this question, it’s so easy to start- or continue- chasing useless titles.
When is winning a title empty and meaningless? When it’s a title that we never wanted in the first place.
Have an AMAZING week!
Vincent
P.S.- If you’d like a guide for your journey towards time and financial freedom through building your business, then be sure to check out Total Life Freedom School Membership. It’s where we map out the steps you can start taking right now that will lead to greater freedom in your future!
