I am a former high school basketball player from the hoosier state, where the only thing we produce are ears of corn and jump shooters. I picked up a basketball when I was three years old and graduated from the little tikes hoop to the big hoop at five. My whole life, whether times were turbulent or sailing was smooth, basketball was always a constant. I tell every girl I date that no matter how hard they try, my first love will always be Ms. Wilson, as in the Wilson Evolution the holy grail of balls to anyone who balls. I am not Lebron James, I'm not even the best player from my high school, the best kids from my school go D1. As a result, I did not go to college to play any sports, but does that mean I don't play? Absolutely not, basketball is in my veins and I couldn't quit if I wanted to, playing competitively even got me addicted to the process of becoming better. I lift, I do plyometrics, I work on moves, I shoot at game speed, I shoot until my body is too tired to make another shot and then I make one more before I leave and I play pick up games of 5 on 5 whenever I can. All for the love of the game, no scouts, no sponsors, no try outs, no scholarships, no contracts, just me and Ms. Wilson.

You see basketball taught me everything I ever needed to know about life, I know that sounds cliche but it's true. Basketball taught me that hard work pays, that spending enough time doing anything will make you good at it, that passion is a more worthy pursuit than anything else, that you can give it your all and still come up short. It taught me how to work with people I didn't like to accomplish a goal. It taught me that I would have to answer to people I didn't like and still give my best effort despite my personal feelings. It taught me what it felt like to be on the top of the world and at rock bottom all before adolescence. Basketball taught me how to take pride in myself and the things I do and those lessons are invaluable.

This blog is for any former athlete, or current athlete, or competitor, or simply anybody who works hard and needs a way to motivate themselves through the weekly grind. These are ideas and quotes that help me push through those tough times. Whether it be the grind of being active and using basketball as a way to motivate my personal health or motivation that stretches outside the realm of sports to my school work or my job or even just coping with the hardships of life; this is how I push through. So each week I will post something under the label Monday Motivation to help inspire you as you tackle each week.