I GOT NEXT
He might not know it but my cousin was my idol when I was little. He was eight years my senior and on occasion I got to ride in the car with Billy. Sometimes I got to go to the gym with Billy and shoot on the side courts while my cousin and his buddies got their run in. I was too little to get down with the big cats so I was content to just be in the same area code breathing the same oxygen as my icon.
But you know how it goes on the wood at the open gyms where guys just show up and play. As soon as you walk in you want to know one thing, “Who’s got next?” That’s what we say to try to get on so you can play in the next game. You want next so you don’t waste a trip and if you don’t look like you can go [play] it’s gonna be a long afternoon. If you don’t know somebody in the gym, it’s gonna be a long afternoon.
It’s troublesome when you ‘got next’ because everyone wants to play with you. The pressure mounts incessantly as you wait for the current game to end because guys know you have something they want, a chance to play. But you want to assemble the squad that will give you the best chance of winning and that may not include the dude who keeps bugging you saying, “Hey man, you got your five already?” See, that guy is geared up with his Kobe V shoes on and vintage jersey. You want nothing to do with that guy and yet you’re his target and that of about 30 other guys looking to get on.
I feel like I ‘got next’ right now. In this economy, how selective should I be about work? What kind of team members do I need to help my business succeed? How much can I afford to give away and still be taken seriously enough in my market? The litany of questions drones in my sleep and it all parallels my time back in the old gyms with Billy. The only difference is that this time I am Billy and it’s not a game anymore. I don’t want to win. I have to win. There’s a difference but the rules are the same. Pick up your team because the game going on right now is about to be over. I’m glad to be an entrepreneur but taking the court is a lot more ominous than I ever imagined. Nevertheless, it’s 10:43 p.m. on April 7, 2010 and I got my five and my 6ixth. Check ball…let’s play. You got next?
Posted: by Norman Anthony
Category: Bigger than Me, Character, Today's Post
How fitting, for me moreso than you. I say that because, as i told you, you are living my dream. However i am not out to compete with you. I’ve been on the sideline and actually, on the team playin and had to wait for next. I’ve served & sowed into so many other peoples endeavors while waiting my turn. You are absolutely right when you say if you don’t know anyone in the gym it could be a long afternoon. Not having the right information or resources has lengthened my wait time. On several occassions my next came and went. Not because i wasn’t ready to play but because there was the guy who’s team i was on pulled the ole,” i forgot i already picked him up”, routine. But its okay. It gave me the opprtunity to fine tune my game, enhance the fundamentals, and see what works and doesn’t work. So much more i could and want to say but out of time. But I will say “I Got Next”, and when i hit the court I’m NOT getting off.