How “...Almost” Changed My Life [3 Times] ??

I almost died in 2004.?

That spring, me and two college friends took one of our usual trips from Altoona to State College, PA. in one car.?

This was a usual thing, as we had many friends and contacts in State College, home of Penn State’s main campus. The place, a classic “college town” if there ever was one, offered many opportunities for socializing, partying, and playing basketball – all of which we did a whole lot of that senior year.

On this particular night, as we did on many nights, we would drive up to “State”, socialize, party, then decide what the rest of the night would be.

In other words, will we stay up here with some girls we know, or drive back to Altoona?

This whole plan, since we came together in one car, was contingent on all three of us finding a place to stay, and a girl to stay with.

On this night, we went 2-for-3: Two of us found what we wanted, and one of us didn’t. So, as per our unspoken understanding, we would drive back to Altoona.

Problem: We were all – including myself, the designated driver – drunk and tired.?

Long story short: Somewhere on the long, single-lane road that connected the two towns, we woke up in the car sitting sideways, trapped in a ditch.?

We managed to extract ourselves from the car, and after throwing a half-full alcohol bottle into a nearby field (in case the cops showed up), we called AAA to pull the car out and drive us home. The car had no damage, save for caked-up mud underneath the carriage.

Had that car swerved to the left, into oncoming traffic, instead of to the right and into the ditch, you would not be reading this.

“Almost.”

***

On that note, let me tell you how I ended up at Penn State in the first place.?

I went to a pretty good high school – a “magnet school,” as they say – in Philadelphia, with solid grades and test scores. As such, I got accepted into 13 different colleges at the start of my senior year.

Problem was, I had no specific reason to choose any one of them.?

On top of none of them offering much by way of academic scholarships, my one year of high school basketball (where I sat the bench), an athletic scholarship was out of the question.

So, in my last semester of high school, I was looking for some reason, any reason, to pick one of these colleges.

My high school counselor understood my dilemma, as well as the dilemma of many other young men in my graduating class. We were all trying to choose, get chosen by, or figure out which college to go to. One day, the counselor told me that a recruiter from a prestigious HBCU (historically black college & universities) was visiting the next day. She invited me to the private presentation.

This gentleman was from Morehouse College, an all-male HBCU in Atlanta with a long history. Some famous Morehouse alumni include Samuel L. Jackson, Bob Johnson (of BET), Spike Lee and Martin Luther King Jr., amongst many others.?

The Morehouse recruiter told the room – about 15 boys from my senior class – what the school was like, about its history, and why we would want to attend Morehouse. His presentation was solid.?

There were three things about Morehouse, though, that were concerns for me.

One, I had not even applied to Morehouse. This was easily solvable.

Two, Morehouse was an all-male school. I was not interested in that. However, Morehouse was strategically located close to three other HBCUs in Atlanta: All-girls Spellman, Clark Atlanta, and Morris Brown.?

Three, the Morehouse recruiter informed us that, once per week, every single male on campus was required to wear a suit and tie for the full day. This was so that, according to the recruiter, all of us men could prepare ourselves for our professional lives, in which we would be dressed the same way.

This was an issue for me. When the hell would I EVER wear a suit and tie EVERY SINGLE DAY??? ????

Anyhow, the recruiter finished his presentation and looked through the information cards that we’d filled out. One of my classmates, Eric, was the highest-performing student in the room. The recruiter took a look at Eric‘s info and offered him a full ride scholarship to Morehouse on the spot. I don’t know if Eric took it or not.

The recruiter shuffled through more cards, and came to mine. I guess I had the second-best profile in the room, because the recruiter offered me a 50% scholarship.

My school counselor was ecstatic about the news. My parents were pretty happy as well, as I finally had a solid reason to choose amongst all these colleges that I had been accepted to.

It was about a month later, right before high school graduation, that my parents came to me with an issue: Morehouse was too expensive.

Even with the 50% scholarship (which was actually 50% of tuition, and didn't cover room & board – so what I really had was a 25% scholarship of the total cost), the remaining balance was a lot financially. While I could, of course, apply for student loans, being an out-of-state student, Morehouse’s costs would require my parents to get involved in the loan process as well.

My mom explained that they would have to take out loans in their own names to cover costs. Given the price of Morehouse, my mom‘s exact words were, “we would be in debt for the rest of our lives.”

Morehouse’s tuition at the time was $45,000 per year. I couldn’t argue with this reasoning.

That’s how I ended up at Penn State.

Penn State was an in-state school. I could get certain grants and scholarships based on being in-state student, and also for being a black student going to a predominantly white university. And, my freshman year I went to Penn State Abington – which doesn’t even have on-campus housing. So the costs were significantly lower.

At Penn State, I met many of my best friends to this day.?

Many of the things that led to my basketball career happened there.?

I learned about network marketing – my entree into entrepreneurship – there.?

Who knows how my life would have been different had I gone to Morehouse.

“Almost.”

***

I played basketball in Germany in 2008.

There are a lot of black American males walking around Germany, both for basketball, and because of the US's heavy military presence in the country. Germany has many basketball leagues, and few limits on how many American players you can have on a roster. Thus, many American males start their basketball careers in Germany.

I had a female friend there, who I spent a lot of time with while I was in the country. She wasn’t even German, but she lived there and had German citizenship.?

She knew a lot about the basketball space, and understood how the business worked for American-born players.?

[For your understanding: It’s easier to get a contract playing basketball in a foreign country if you have a passport from that country, because you are then a “national.” Whereas, if you are coming from another country – i.e., an American in Germany – you are an “import.” Imports cost more money and are a bigger financial investment for teams, as there is an “import fee” to bring in such a player, just as American businesses pay taxes on imported goods in the USA.]?

The “cheat code,” so to speak, for an overseas basketball team who wants more foreign players, is to get import players who have a passport in that country. This is how you will see a black guy who’s from Dallas, for example, having a Russian or Swedish or Spanish passport (some even play for national teams). The team now has space to bring in another player from outside of the country, since this player with the “local” passport does not count as an import player.

Near the end of my time in the country, my female friend offered a proposition: Let’s get married.?

That way, I would then have a German passport, and would be treated as a German national by the basketball teams. It would cost them less money to sign me to their roster, which would make it easier for me to get a playing contract with any team in Germany.?

And, for her benefit, I wouldn’t be leaving her and going back to the USA.

It was an intriguing offer (for many compelling reasons). But I turned it down (for just as many compelling reasons).

I went back home, and shortly after, recorded a video in a 24 Hour Fitness gym where I first uttered the phrase, “Work On Your Game.”

“Almost.”

***

Sometimes, “almost” works for the better.?

Other times, you’re left with a life full of “what-if”??

Sometimes both.?

You are “almost” where you need to be in your business.?

You “almost” have the right mindset.?

You’re “almost” clear on a strategy.?

Your system “almost” produces consistent outputs.?

Your accountability… Well, that’s a bit further away, but you get the point.?

You’re a few steps (or more) away.?

You know there’s just a few things (or more) you need to get there.?

You don’t want to live a life of “almost.”?

Because “almost” is just a what-if.

A could have been.

An idea or vision in your mind that never actually happens.

You get no credit for “almost”.

How about we get things to DONE?

Work with me directly so you can turn every “almost” to “glad I did” and every “trying to” to “completed.”?

Start here: https://www.WorkOnYourGameUniversity.com/apply ?