In the NowI was fortunate enough to be associated with Hakeem Olajuwon during the Houston Rockets championship years. I have many great memories of working with “The Dream”. He always had fantastic stories to tell and life lessons to teach. And I tried very hard to listen, but because I was young and climbing my own ladder, many of the things he said and did, influenced me much later, as I grew up.
One of my favorite memories of Hakeem happened while the clock ran out as the Rockets clinched their first ever NBA Championship in 1994 (93-94 season). It was a hard fought series against the New York Knicks and the Rockets were heavy underdogs. But they battled and fought and in the end they WON! Houston's first ever NBA Championship and the first for Hakeem as well!
As the players, fans and media rushed the court and the confetti poured down from the rafters. Tina Turner's hit song “Simply the Best” wailed from the intercom. I remember scanning the scene looking for Hakeem, excited to see his reaction to this once-in-three-lifetimes achievement. I looked and looked, but I couldn't seem to find him, which was unusual being that he was one of the tallest on the court.
Finally, my eyes caught a glimpse of the scorer's table, and there sat Hakeem…with eyes wide open and a satisfied smile on his face. He didn't dance or scream. He didn't jump up and down or roll around on the floor. He sat…and he watched.
I asked him about it later, asked him what he was thinking, why he chose not to celebrate like everyone else. He told me that he wanted to just sit back and soak up the moment. At that instant, when everyone else's emotions bordered on the edge of hysteria, he took a minute to remember the journey, to look back on the good times and bad, and come to the realization that it all led up to this. A moment that would be over too soon.
“I had worked and sacrificed many years of my career dreaming that I would one day win an NBA Championship. When it finally happened…I didn't want to miss it”, he said.
WOW!
In all that you do…
Focus on where you ARE…RIGHT NOW!
Don't look BEHIND…or too far AHEAD…
You can't change what is behind you…things ahead of you will be here soon enough.
Kiss your kids…hug that special someone…say thank you…apologize…soak it all in.
All we have is now.
Make the most of it.
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