How To Finish This Quarter Like Lebron James

No matter which team you were rooting for in the recent NBA Finals, in good sportsmanship fashion, one has to acknowledge the contribution of LeBron James to his Cleveland Cavaliers team. In fact, not to do so could mean missing vital lessons on how to finish this quarter like LeBron James.

Stephen Curry definitely did an outstanding job with his teammates in securing their spot in the finals. They gave an impressive performance coming back from a 3-1 deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunders to win Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Then in pure Golden State Warriors fashion, they began dominating this year’s NBA finals with a 3-1 game lead against the Cavs.

It is against these odds, much like the game of life, that LeBron James and his team deserve props for their relentless pursuit of success and drive to win the championships. So in life, business, or ministry, you have several quarters each year to secure wins for your team. Are the odds currently against you this quarter? Are you leading in goals or behind? Will you take the lead spot and be ahead before this quarter closes?

There are yet four days to go in this quarter, how will you finish it? How will the start of the third quarter find you and your team? Trailing to catch up or leading? Will it be a tie breaker where you’re even on your goals? No matter what your answers are, you can take these seven tips below to implement and have a specular second quarter finish.

1. How Bad Do You Really Want It? This is the second time LeBron James and the Cavs have faced Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals. In most professional sports of this magnitude, winning can ultimately be boiled down to which team wants is bad enough. How bad do you want to achieve your specific goal(s) this quarter? How much do you really want to pay off that debt? Lose those pounds around your gut? Save your marriage? Complete that degree? At the end of the day, you have to want it bad enough to have a phenomenal­ second quarter finish.

2. Stay Focused! Distraction dilemmas abound and all too often, we let our worthy goals and dreams fall by the wayside simply because we’re not focused. If you’re going to finish this quarter well and start the next one with a bang, you can’t afford to be distracted. Not even by the proverbial “home-court advantage.” Don’t let your guard down nor presume you will win simply because the odds are in your favor. To combat distraction and interruptions, turn off your phone if you have to. Take a fast from Facebook. Let those emails wait! Your goals are too important to be at the mercy of Day Time Soap Operas and negative news on TV. Turn them off! Accomplish some important tasks now and get something worthwhile done before this second quarter ends.

3. Pass the Ball. This is pivotal in any sport and in life. If you can’t make the shot, for the sake of the team, and winning the game, pass the ball! If you’ve been sucking your thumb on a key task or goal, give it to someone else to get it done. If you want to understand how to finish this quarter like Lebron James, then make delegation your friend. Delegate. Delegate. Delegate. While LeBron is a star on his team, others were in a better position to take shots than he was. If he were a loner, he would have tried to do it all himself and pretty much lost the championships. James was not the only high scorer so pass that ball now to your teammate to get it done.

4. Keep Hope Alive! No matter how far behind you are on your second quarter goal(s), there’s still a chance to finish strong and even win the game. As Dr. Willey Jolley nicely says, “A Setback is a Setup for a Comeback.” As long as you have skin in the game, you still have an opportunity to win, to make some profits, to turn around your troubled relationship, to revive a dying ministry, to lose weight, to break the addiction, to realize your dream. Just don’t give up. In due time, you will reap the blessings, just like LeBron and his teammates, who, because they kept faith alive, set a new NBA history record with a 3-1 come-from-behind win and brought home a major sports win in 52 years! The same can happen for you.

5. Take the Lead. When the pressure is on, it can be scary to lead the team to victory or defeat. Dr. John C. Maxwell‘s leadership philosophy is worth adopting in times like these, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” There were times when it looked like LeBron was checking out. He wasn’t on top of his game. He hesitated to take shots. He no doubt made mistakes too. However, he did step up to lead the team to secure this year’s championship. I challenge you not to pass the buck this quarter. I challenge you not to make any excuses whatsoever for falling short your goals. I dare you to take full responsibility for your life, business, or ministry and say, “The buck stops with me!” You will not blame anyone or anything for not making a profit this quarter or for any loss that may result from your actions. I dare you to man-up or woman-up and take the challenge to lead your team regardless if the game is in your favor or not. Play to the end!

6. Listen to the Coach! Or find a new one. I’ve always admired professional athletes because, though they are very talented at their craft, they still get coaching. It’s interesting that successful people seek out coaches and advisors to achieve greatness, but the average person thinks he or she is beyond the need for coaching or mentoring? The Cleveland Cavaliers had to change coaches to get the results they desired. How about you? If your business is failing or not making profits, find a business coach or strategist. If you keep living pay-check-to-paycheck not matter how much money you make, find a financial advisor. If your ministry is going nowhere, restore your connection with your Spiritual Coach – the Holy Spirit, and seek help from a seasoned minister. If your marriage or dating relationships sucks, find a marriage counselor ASAP. If you can’t stay motivated to reach your goals, or to exercise and eat right, find a personal trainer or get coaching from Gary Ryan Blair’s 100 Day Challenge program. Start by downloading his free Unleash Your Greatness Manifesto.

7. Revisit Your ‘Why.’ This is linked to point #1. The bigger your Why, the more likely you will fight for your dreams and goals. If you’re fuzzy about what makes you tick, then chances are you’ll keep procrastinating on tasks that are necessary to complete the goal. LeBron kept his big why before him at all times. Losing the first championship back home no doubt was a bitter disappointment for him. But he kept his vision alive to bring a championship win back to his city, lifting the curse, as they had not seen the glory of a major sports championship title since December 27, 1964! (When the Browns won the NFL championship) What if James had no why or forgot about the vision that was more than himself? His city was counting on this win! Now Cleveland can touch and smell the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Your team, your family, your business, your ministry is counting on a major win this year. Will you bring home a championship win? How you finish this quarter will determine that.

I hope that serves you in a meaningful way as you seek to finish this quarter and start a new one. To set and achieve any goal, use simple success strategies like the ones I discussed here. Now that you know how to finish this quarter like Lebron James, meditate on this quote and take some action today (leave your comments below also):