khalid

Dawn Staley and Lebron James: Fire-Brand Performers Who Push the Limits of Their Game and Help Light-up the Team Stats Frame

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So where are folks headed on spring break these days? Well, it depends on who you ask. Some travelled south to the warm weather of Florida. It’s always been the spring break capital for college students. This year with folks wanting to get past Covid restrictions, things have kinda gotten out of hand.  

Same time, the NCAA March Madness frenzy has landed in Indy! Yea, on the women’s side it’s in San Antonio. March Madness is also a place people go on spring break to raise their praise for breakout performances. Of course, there’s always the Cinderella team that busts up the brackets.

For those wondering or asked the question, Where do folks go to understand greatness? Well, we see it in the play of Lebron James and the eyes of coach Dawn Staley. James has had to sit-out a few games after a high-ankle sprain injury. He’s missing the chance of the Lakers being positioned for a playoff run.

Staley recently called out the NCAA for disparities in supporting women’s teams. After pics went viral on social media showing a less-than-stellar setup for their facilities, Staley wrote an open letter calling out the diss. Her take was the NCAA message of “togetherness and equality” was just marketing jargon.

James and Staley bring focus on issues of social justice. They’re admired by peers, players and the hometown posse for using their platform to spur reform. While they get attention for putting their names to causes, it’s also how they put passion on the line, reminding us of how greatness is tied to:          

  • Gifting

A proverb says, “a man’s gift makes room for him and brings him in front of great people.” Well, think of that in universal terms and you can see why James at his age is still performing at a high level and Staley has such impactful coaching. Your gifting when tied to passion makes you do stuff that folks can’t teach.  

  • Branding

James doesn’t only marvel us on the court, he also has his hands in biz ventures and social projects. His career track might have started out with basketball, but his branding has reached new heights in media, fashion, entertainment and sports. He recently became part owner in the Boston Red Sox franchise.          

  • Networking

A recent story on Staley shared how much her success has inspired other women to consider coaching. Plus, there’s a whole eco system of black women in particular who’re plugged-in to what Staley has done throughout her career as a player, recruiter and U.S. head coach for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.       

  • Collaborating

After events of social protest prompted by the George Floyd killing, James rallied an investment group to purchase the WNBA Atlanta Dream. While he’s not the main figure in the new ownership structure, he’s the main player that helped bring together a collaboration of interested parties to secure the deal.   

The “Cinderella Team” stories will get told throughout March Madness. You might even hear some players being described as ‘supernova athletes.’ There’s room to do something special on the court or in one’s career for those whose performance push the limits of their game and light-up the team stats frame.               

Tip: You create your own “Cinderella Story” by how you bring passion to the table in ways that maximize your gifting, branding, networking and collaborating.

Talkback: Did the NCAA miss the mark or drop the ball on the women’s facilities in March Madness?

Tracks: Usher – No Limit – https://youtu.be/3w0yqAdJ1iY

Khalid – Disclosure (Know Your Worth) – https://youtu.be/aEDULPGIwcg

Here’s What John Legend and Iyanla Vanzant Reveal About Being ‘Hired for Looks or Wired for Success’

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Well Spike Lee finally won at the Oscars and it was celebrated by one of his homeboys. When Samuel L. Jackson realized he’d be announcing Lee as the winner for Best Adapted Screenplay, he gave out a big shout. It wasn’t Lee’s first Academy nomination, but it took almost 30 years before he’d finally won one.

John Legend is also looking for his first, not Oscar but Voice winner. He’s the newest coach on NBCs singing reality show. Speaking of reality shows, how about Fix My Life, with the no-nonsense queen herself. Legend and Iyanla Vanzant reveal more about being ‘hired for looks or wired for success.’

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For Legend it’s been one of going the traditional route in earning his college degree from an Ivy League University. No one might know since he’s so down to earth and easy going. He’s been strongly influenced by the musical background of his family which helps explain why he feels at home belting tunes.

Vanzant works with folks who’re trying to get a handle on some facet of their life. Sometimes it’s personal, relational or even professional. Each week she shares bits and pieces of her story along the way on her OWN Network show. She’s even taken steps to bring her message to fans on her Get Over It tour.

Legend’s one of the few who’s an EGOT, for winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards. For Vanzant, her show recently received two NAACP Image Awards nominations. But what we see on the outside doesn’t tell the full story of the journey. Before the success, they were on the R.O.A.D. of:

  1. Rejection

Legend says he learned a lot about music from his grandmother who was a church organist. Over the years he’s worked with many music artists who’re Grammy winners themselves. But Legend remembers those times when he was rejected by every major record label before getting his first music contract.

  1. Omen

Maybe the rejections helped him work harder. Maybe the setback on her first Talk Show helped Vanzant become wiser about showbiz. They, like others who’ve been on the R.O.A.D. might point to a certain time or situation that proved to be like an omen. It was a kind of prophetic tell-tale sign of things to come.

  1. Advice

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Vanzant’s become a sought-after personality for advice and counsel. She embraced advice she received in her own life when things weren’t ‘in order’ as they are now. She knows that there’s advice people give that might discourage or tear you down, while others give advice to encourage and build you up.

  1. Destiny

Now that Legend is a coach on the Voice he’s helping emerging artists live their dreams. He’s walked the walk in the music business. Vanzant is offering folks some ‘reality check’ advice because as she like to say ‘she’s done the work’ as well. They’re fulfilling their destiny as they help others do the same.

Whether or not they were hired for goods looks, they have personal experience of what it means to be wired for success. Vanzant might say when you do the work on your inner self, you’ll achieve the worth of your best self. Legend knows rejection paves the way for your selection and also saying ‘hello happiness.’

Tip: The road that success travels is one that might take folks from rejection to selection and also saying ‘hello happiness.’

Talkback: Since they’re so good, what can Legend not do as an artist or Vanzant not fix in life?

Tracks: Chaka Khan – Hello Happiness – https://youtu.be/JG6D59k9U8Q

Khalid – Talk – https://youtu.be/Y1QZOprK7PQ

What’s it Like Being Issa Rae & Jay Ellis on ‘Reclaiming Your Game’ or Your Dreams in Business and the Real World?

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The new season of HBOs Insecure is getting attention for how it flipped the script. With a relationship breakup something many can relate to, the characters played by Issa Rae and Jay Ellis are trying to ‘kick-it’ in new ways. The story being told is like a test case for ‘reclaiming your game’ in the dating world.

In relationships there’re times it takes looking at bloodline versus fault-line to see where the problems rest. Some might point to things having to do with repeating errors from the past or issues that sit under the surface. Moving things to the next level can mean turning an insecure flow into a new glow.

The same is true with the ‘ins and outs’ of the daily grind. There’s an inner flow of hope that prevents us from giving up, whether in finding a relationship or in life dreams. A fresh sense of self-awareness leads to more self-acceptance. Then after a while the heavens finds a way to give a ‘wink and nod’ of approval.

This is how it might play out months after a blind-date. It’s kinda what happened for me after a business meeting. There I was sitting among a group of journalists as they discussed a few civic projects. Their day’s work had them writing lead news stories while their life’s work was about impacting life stories.

A few days later, a call from a journalist was like a ‘wink and nod’ from the heavens. Her assignment was writing a local story on ‘reclaiming your game’ in the professional world. That became a front-page feature in the Life section of the paper the day after Christmas. That’s how a flow of hope kept me in the game.

These kinds of hope-filled moments can led to a flow of hustle in the game. In every field of dreams there’s a time for hope and a time for hustle. Sometimes the hope comes before the hustle and sometimes the hustle comes before the hope. You can’t hate the hustle just because you’ve got no game.

It’s been said do what you love and the money will follow. Another way to look at that might be ‘do what you love and the hustle will follow’ once you know your game. Whether in relationships or life dreams the hustle is like a metaphor for the things that begin to flow your way as you nurture your love in the game.

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That might be where things are with fans of Insecure as the main characters show a thing or two on ‘reclaiming your game’ in the real world. Somewhere along the lines it boils down to a flow of heart and humor. That’s what you get from stories of ‘Black Love’ where long-term romance is more than just about finance.

When I first crossed paths with the woman who’s now my wife, it was a flow of feelings that made me think there could be something here. Over time the relationship became what would amount to a flow of hope, hustle, heart and humor. She’d bring one or two from her end and me doing the same on my end.

Here we are 25 years later with two daughters ages 20 and 17 who we try to give the best life has to offer. There’re things they’ll deal with tied to bloodline and to fault-line. We want them to know going from girls to women or college major to life dreams means turning any insecure flow into their primetime glow.

Tip: Your primetime glow in relationship or life dreams is a matter of letting the flow of hope, hustle, heart and humor shine through from the good old days all the way to your glory days.

Talkback: How have you improved a relationship or stretched your dreams by going from an insecure flow to a primetime glow?

Tracks: Craig David ft Sigala – Ain’t Giving Up – https://youtu.be/FC9fc12YYC4

Logic ft Alessia Cara & Khalid – 800-273-8255 – https://youtu.be/BLe1dddgZrg