Motivation of Success Research Paper By: Reinaldo Cabrera University of Phoenix Comp and Communication II

Motivation for Success Determination, motivation and having goals are all different emotions and feelings that we all use to achieve more than the other. No matter the person you are or the family you have we are all different and use certain effects that takes place in our lives as positives or negative. NBA players are no different. They have goals, are determined to achieve them and use life challenges as motivation. Neither is better than each other but they use their life styles from their childhood as motivation to do better, to be better. Isn't that our goal in life, try to find a way to do better for you, your friends and family? We are born to want more, to live more and to be more than the last. NBA players all have different reason and paths to where they are now but they are no different than the next. Some players lived difficult lives and some have them planned out, but both paths have a major impact on how they will play in the NBA. Motivation has a way of pushing people to do more than they are capable of. For example Lebron James, a very talented NBA player, uses his difficult childhood as the foundation for his motivation. He never lived an easy life, whether it was growing up with a single mother or living in a bad neighborhood, life always had it out for him. He didn’t let that bring him down; instead he used that to his advantage. Freedman (2008) stated the Lebron James said “I think the reason why I'm the person who I am today is because I went through those tough times when I was younger”. Growing up with a bad past or a difficult life can bring people down but there are players who use that as an extra gear while playing the game of basketball. While Lebron struggled as a child, he succeeded in his plan to help his mother finally live the life she deserved. He always referenced his trials and tribulations as a kid, in order for him to work harder than everyone else. Another player, Jeremy Lin, is an NBA player who grew up without any direct family members. All he had was his grandmother who took care of him until he was in college. His life was not molded to that of an NBA player but he used that difficult stage of life as a reason to do better. He did everything he possibly could to make sure his family he would have one day would not suffer the same life that he did. Work is what you make of it, and these players who grew up not knowing what a real childhood was, made sure that they did everything possible to make sure life was not repeated. Motivation is a funny thing, and depending on what yours is, could change everything about how and why you do something. In the NBA the players all lived different lives, some difficult and some had it laid out for them to succeed. Those who had it laid out for them are still as motivated as those who didn’t but they use it in a different form. These players like to emulate their family members or to copy what their parents have done. A good example is Kobe Bryant. His father, Joe Bean Bryant, was an NBA player. Kobe’s older sisters were big basketball players, so he had people to learn and copy from. He always wanted to be like his father so he picked up a basketball at a young age. Although his life was in route to the NBA because of his family he always strove to be better than them. Players whose families are NBA players usually have access to the equipment they use. That in turns helps players like Kobe Bryant turn into the player he is. At a young age he was groomed into who he is, but it was the motivation of being better that helped him succeed in the NBA. They also get access to good training facilities in good neighborhoods so they get an advanced look on how to achieve their goals of playing. Practice makes perfect, but having a family history of NBA player helps you afford better practice. What makes you want to work harder than the other people around you? Everyone in the NBA has their own reasons why they try to improve or work harder than the others. Some players who had a difficult life want to do better for their family than they had when they were growing up. It makes them work harder every day to succeed. These players are those who didn’t have money, lived in bad neighborhood, or didn’t have any parents. Then there are players who are the complete opposite, they have money, live in a good environment, and have parents with a background in basketball. These players use the motivation of wanting to emulate or surpass their parents. The goal is the same but both paths use different tools of going after it. One common trait in both paths is that these players feel the need of taking care of their family; by working harder to compete in the NBA they are also helping them reach that goal. The players whose life were planned out to be in the NBA get so used to the lifestyle of living that they don’t ever want to lose it. This is another reason they work harder to be the best they can. Larry Bird said in his Biography “Once you are labeled the best you want to stay up there, and you can't do it by loafing around. If I don't keep changing, I'm history.” Life is about that struggle of change in our lives, and those who want better, make it better. These NBA players have many reasons to what has happened to them in order to be the player they are on the court. Some of them are born into poor families which usually leads them to want the money more than the love for the game. Although it is not a moral reason it is still a motivating factor for them to work hard. They feel it’s an easy way of getting money so they try to achieve that goal for that purpose. With every bad reason always comes good reason so you have the players that wanted to have a better life for their families than they had while growing up. They strive to be a better role model for their kids to insure that they do not make the same mistake or go through the same obstacles they went through. These children are born into a strong basketball household and it gives them an opportunity to live the same lifestyle. Than those with a difficult life are usually the ones that are not motivated by money instead they want to give their families a good life. They want to give them a life with fewer struggles and more enjoyment than they may have had when they were growing up. One of the biggest reasons players continue to try and be the best is to the fit the role of their family history. They want to fill their parent’s shoes and the only way to do that is to use their losses and gains in life as motivation. The realization of how their family was living and the dream of duplicating what the family goals are has always made someone work hard to achieve. That sense of not meeting up to the expectations that the family puts on the next in line can be a motivating factor all on its own. Many people think that it’s not a strong enough feeling to change work ethics and how hard they practice but players use all different factors of motivation to succeed. We all have different things in our life that we use as triggers to reach our goal or to put more effort into completing it. NBA players are no different; they all use their own kind of motivation whether it’s a good one or bad. Some players live difficult lives and some have them planned out, but both paths have a major impact on how they will play in the NBA. Motivation is a feeling or emotion that people use to push their will and can make them do things that they may have not been able to do before. It’s those moments in life that they remember which keeps there will to fight and motivation to burn stronger. The options they have are replicated from the choices they make. Wouldn't you want to use your life as a reason to either stay constant with or do better?

Reference List of Cite Pages

Freedman, L. (2008). Lebron James: Biography. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood .
Sports Illustrated for Kids. (2004). Lebron Journey. Retrieved from https://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?vid=2&hid=124&sid=efe92319-2d61-4ba4-8ae2-907af0c89839%40sessionmgr113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=f5h&AN=11853032
Sports Illustrated. (2008). The Next step for Steph. Retrieved from https://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?vid=5&hid=124&sid=efe92319-2d61-4ba4-8ae2-907af0c89839%40sessionmgr113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=f5h&AN=34402484
Hall, J. (1999). Kobe Bryant Biography. Los Angeles, California: Archive Books.