Jeremy Lin: A True Underdog Story

A new, unexpected hero in the NBA has redefined the term superstar. Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks has become an intercultural and intercontinental sensation nearly ove
ight. He is a powerful testimony that the combination of passion, unrelenting work ethic and an incredible level of perseverance allows one to reach their true calling in life.

Jeremy Lin is the first Taiwanese-American to play in the NBA. His story can be shockingly related to one of the greatest basketball players of all-time, Michael Jordan. Lin was not offered a scholarship coming out of high school, never drafted by the NBA out of college and has been cut by two NBA teams prior to coming to the Knicks. He shows us that our deepest hopes and desires can become our realities.

Linspire, Linnovate and Linfluence

Lin’s fairy tale story has captured the interest of nearly a billion people within fourteen days. The perfect storm of Lin has swept the nation but has also engulfed China and large parts of Asia. His success is an inspiration to everyone that has been told that they do not have what it takes to become successful. Lin shows us that we can succeed regardless of race, of stereotypes and of circumstance.

"This league is dominated by African Americans. What are the odds of an Asian guy coming on and having this impact? It's amazing. It's inexplicable."

-Walt Frazier- TV analyst

One of the most important factors that determine success involves discovering your right race. One cannot be a champion and reach their highest potential if you are not actively involved in what you were created to be. In many circumstances people rely on what other people think you should be in life and what they think your calling is. What do you think Jeremy Lin would have done if he listened to everyone around him? A Harvard graduate was sleeping on his brother’s couch pursuing his dreams.

A challenge in this world is being able to stay focused on the right things. Everything in our lives has the opportunity to blind us, detour us and even destroy us if we let it. It is not about failure, failure is training for success. The champion is made in practice not in the championship game.

“A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.”

-Larry Bird- NBA Hall of Fame

When your heart tells you something, be true to it. Life may make it appear to be a fantasy, but a dream will come true when you learn to take no excuse. If you’re not prepared to fail or to be wrong, you’ll never become someone truly innovative and original.

The secret to living your dreams is how hard you pursue and develop your gifting. It has been said that a successful man/woman is one who lays a firm foundation with the bricks thrown at them. Do you try to avoid people throwing bricks or do you seek out more bricks to build something beautiful?
Jeremy Lin’s story reminds us that life is about desire, passion and living out our dreams. Regardless of who you are you can achieve your dreams despite past failures, heartaches, setbacks, racism and even stereotypes. To be successful in the game of life you must be in the game and not sitting on the bench