Show Up and Work Hard

It's a simple concept that takes a lot of discipline. To have the habit of showing up and working hard, you can't be a quitter, you can't write your goals in pencil, you can't do things half-hearted. Once you have this habit, good things will come and it will be a lot easier as time goes on. 

The first step is showing up. This means not being late and not doing it. Being on time is something that you should take pride in because it shows you are dependable and you are respectful. If I ask you to be somewhere at a certain time, I depend on you to show up at that time. For school, for jobs, for sports-being on time is crucial and it could make or break your career path. 

A lot of times we don't even have the discipline of showing up. To where we blow off something completely. Doing this creates a habit. It takes a lot of discipline to get up and go to class. But once you miss one class, you start second guessing yourself to where you think it's okay to miss class. 

You could also be on a strict workout plan and you decide to miss a day of training. Then again you start to second guess yourself, do I really need to workout? I think I'm happy with the way I look. Other people are more out of shape than I am. When in reality, you need to train your body physically so you can be healthy. 

Working hard is the next step. You show up to do a job, and maybe you are thinking, "I'm just going to get through this day and get out." Maybe you are in class and think, "I'm just going to sit here and watch the clock tick down to when it is time to leave." Maybe you have practice and think, "I'm just going to go through the motions because I don't feel like working hard today."

Working hard, is a habit. In everything I do, I have to do work or play hard. I don't know any other way. When I play basketball, I could be playing the top athletes in the world or playing pick up games at a local gym, I'm still going to play hard. If you step on the court with me, you will get my all no matter who you are. 

When you don't work hard, you feel more pressure. You cruise through your job and your boss gives you a big assignment. You feel pressured to do something because you can't handle it. You go through the motions in practice but the day a college coach comes in to watch you practice, you feel the pressure of performing well for this particular practice. You don't do the homework right or you copy from a friend, but then the test comes and you feel pressure because you have no one to help you do the test. 

Tony Snell said it best, "When you work hard, you don't feel pressure."

Tony was a guy you constantly saw in the weight room, the film room, the training room, the basketball court, the study hall. Because he takes everything he does, seriously. He stepped up in big games because of how hard he works. The Chicago Bulls see that in him and see that he will have a successful career. 

He doesn't have a secret formula, it's show up an work hard. The matter of the fact is, are you willing to do that? You see the living proof, showing up+working hard=success. 

Thank you for reading and ANY feedback is much appreciated! 

Chris Perez

You Serve He Protects

Attention vs. Connection

This is a comparison that I thought of recently and I don't think people realize the difference between the two. The best way to explain these concepts is through examples. First I want to define what I think these two concepts mean. 

Attention is something that we ALL try to gain. When we seek attention, we do not care who it is, we just want to put ourselves out there for the "world" to see. Sometimes we feel so lost in this world that we cry out for attention because we are so desperate for people to know we have needs. So in essence, trying to gain attention is a selfish act. 

Making a connection means that you are trying to reach out to someone. It could be a friend, family, stranger, etc. To make a connection, you can have an idea you want to share with someone that will benefit them. You learn something and you want to share what you learn to help others. So for making a connection, it is an unselfish act. 

Let's take the use of Snapchat for example. To interact with people on Snapchat, you can do two things: One is creating a snap story, this is where you post a picture(s) or a video(s) so that all of your snapchat friends can see. Your goal to make a snap story, isn't necessarily to interact with people, rather you want to show off what you are doing. You don't necessarily care who views or what others think, you just want show your snapchat friends what you are doing. In essence, trying to grab attention. 

Another thing you can do on Snapchat is that you can send pictures and videos to a snapchat friend directly. Now with this feature, it is more personal. Maybe you saw something that reminded you of one of your snapchat friends, and you want to share with them. That is making a personal connection in order to share a laugh or make a conversation. 

There are people in our lives that do things to hurt us. Maybe they are aware of hurting you or not, but usually when people seek to gain attention, they end up hurting others in the process. 

There are people in our lives that will take the effort to reach out to us, asking what is wrong, invite us to do something with them, share knowledge or advice that we need. We feel a great level of connection with those people. 

Rolls Royce and Bentley, do not have any commercials. The reason for that is they know the VALUE of their product. They don't need to waste money on advertising. People speak on behalf of these companies and they speak well of them, so based on word of mouth, they sell there products with great profit. 

It's the same with humans, when we try to gain attention, we are advertising ourselves, saying "look at me, I'm the type of person you want to be and who you want to be around". And typically, we try to stay away from those type of people. Understand your VALUE, understand that your friends, your co-workers, teammates, coaches, family members, they are your advertisers. If you are good to the people around you, those people will spread the good word about you. 

If you want to know your true value, take a step back and see what people think of you, the people that are close to you. If they don't think good of you, change that. If they do think good of you, don't change who are and don't try to sell yourself for something your not. 

Don't worry about how many likes you get on Instagram, don't worry about subtweeting to grab someone's attention, don't send out a snap story to strictly show off. Be who you are and have a purpose for everything that you do. Don't sell yourself, let the people around you sell who you truly are. 

Believe me, people want to be around someone that wants to make a true connection with them. If you look to help others, your selfish needs will take care of itself. You help someone, maybe they will reward you, maybe they will invite you somewhere, and that is how a healthy friendship develops. Is when two people care enough for each other to where they want to share knowledge, be a helping hand, and laugh in moments of happiness. 

Be who you are, help others, and you will be taken care of. People will like you for YOU, not for what you are advertised to be. 

Thank you for reading! I know it's been awhile since my last blog but I am getting back into it with a lot of stuff to share! Please comment, I am seeking for satisfying the purpose of this blog and most importantly, seeking all types of criticism 

Chris Perez

#YouServeHeProtects

Why This Path?

Since my junior year in high school, I have truly dedicated myself to a certain style of living. I went through a tough, life-learning experience that made me become who I am. When people look at me, I want them to identify or describe me primarily as an "unselfish" person.

I try really hard to be this way and to follow this path. One reason is because being unselfish is a good quality of a friend. I want my friends to be able to count on me to be there for them. I want them to trust me that I will support them no matter what. I have been able to play this role in most of my friends' lives. When people, from all ages, can count on me and can trust me, that means that I will be able to be trusted and counted on for my career. I want to be a coach, and in that career path, I need to be exactly that, counted on and trusted. 

Another reason why I am on the pursuit to unselfishness, is because of my impact, inspiration, and motivation. I have a story, just like anybody else, that has taught me life lessons and continues to teach me life lessons. I want to share it, I want to share how I got to where I am today and how I am going to get to where I want to go. My experiences are going to be different than your experiences, you may have learned certain life lessons that I did not get the chance to learn and vice versa. Sharing stories can change a life. These past few months, I have done some guest speaking for teams and classrooms. I have also been coaching different basketball teams throughout the summer. The main feedback I get when I tell my story is that I give them "confidence". Giving them the ability that in whatever they are doing and whatever they want to do, they know it is possible to become the best at what they love. I pursued my dream to be apart of a Division I basketball team and now I am pursuing my other dream as being the best basketball coach in the world. I can only do that, if I have an unselfish mindset. If you help others, others help you. And in this crazy world, you never know if the person you help, can help you as well. So do not be afraid to help someone, for they can help you. 

This next reason was given to me spiritually. Before every home game, we had a pregame meal about 3 and a half hours before tip-off. And before that meal we would have a chaplin service. Our last home game, our pastor went to the three seniors and gave them a word that best describes them. For me, he gave me the word "humility". Meaning I don't think less of myself, I think of myself less. Pastor Griego has known me for four years and he is a man of God. At that moment, I strongly felt that God has given this word to me that will lead the rest of my life. I have been to many church services these past few months and I started to see that this should be an unselfish world. If everyone was more unselfish, we would all live better. Because if we are there for others, others will be there for us. 

Choosing this path has helped me not only become a better person, but live a better life. I am not trying to get you to live the way I live. It is just that the way I live works for me. And I want to share this because maybe it will work for you, you never know. Maybe you will learn something from me, apply it to your life, and see it work. All in all, if we share our stories and share our perspective of life, we may help someone else. And it works in full circle. Helping others is a reward in itself, and you will get rewarded a lot more if you are more unselfish than more selfish. 

Thanks for reading! Hopefully it helps you in any way. Please offer me feedback it you have any!

Chris

God First God Bless

What Does It Mean?

I appreciate the people who took the time to read my first blog. Received significant feed back that will help me become a better writer and reach out to my audience better. 

The biggest feed back I received was asking, "Are your blogs going to just be about sports?" "If I don't play sports, how do I relate?" "Who is this for?"

"Being a teammate" is a concept that can easily be read as a theme for sports. But the blog series title means SO much more than being a teammate on a team. It's about being a "teammate" for life. 

Let's dive in to the idea of, being a friend. Now that phrasing can be read for everybody, not just athletes, but the concept is still the same. Being a friend is something that is very valuable in our lives. Being a good or a bad friend can strongly define who you are. Are friendships boil down to one concept...EXCHANGE. The reason why you are friends with your friends, is because they give you something. Whether it'd be entertainment, gifts, favors, materials, knowledge, etc. you become friends on that base. So as a friend to someone, think about what you can give, offer, and share. Me personally, I have invited friends to church as friends have invited me to church. Through those invitations, it has changed my life and my friends' lives. In high school and college, as an upperclassman I helped the underclassmen understand the rules and ways of the basketball programs I was apart of. I sometimes share music with friends, I share my thoughts on a movie. I suggest things to read to my friends. I show them videos. I share info I hear in the sports world. I share knowledge that I have learned throughout my life. 

You get the idea, in order to be a good friend, you must offer something good and beneficiary. Selfish people have a hard time finding friends because they look out for themselves. I'm sure you'd all agree that it is better to be around someone who supports you and looks after you. 

Being a brother/sister is also a strongly defining characteristic. I have two younger brothers. One of my brothers was bullied in elementary school, so I would protect him and sometimes it would lead to fights. Was it the right way to handle it? No, I was in elementary school, but as a brother I felt a need to protect him. I think that is a big thing, we need to protect our family and be there for them first. 

My youngest brother Cole, moved from Southern California to New Mexico between freshman to sophomore year. A very though experience and triumph for him. He has lived in 1 hotel room, 2 apartments, and soon moving into a house, in a span of 2 years. Through that time, I was here in New Mexico and I needed to be his friend. I knew that he was going to be alone at first so I told him about how I was alone when I first moved to New Mexico and spent quality time with him. He took on basketball to follow in my foot steps, since then I have taught him everything I know about basketball so he can become a better player than I ever was. 

You obviously will have a different story, but in general, we need to be there for our family because they will be there for us. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, etc. they don't go away. Their love is forever, so you might as well enjoy loving them. 

Being a boyfriend/girlfriend is another concept that is a part of the "Being a Teammate" theme. I think of making a friend into a girlfriend would only mean that she is someone who I am proud to be associated with, she handles herself maturely, and she is a best friend to where I can see myself being with her for the rest of my life and enjoying it. Making someone a boy/girlfriend based on physical attraction doesn't work for the long run. You are going to find someone physically attractive tomorrow, then the next day you are going to find another person that is more physically attractive. It's how the human mind works, we either think someone else looks good, or we are tired of what we have. A boy/girlfriend should be someone who is your best friend that you happen to be attracted to. If you can embrace someone's personality and he/she is attractive to you, it won't matter what the next boy/girl looks like. Because in the long run, looks and attraction will fade, you'll want someone new. But not if you found your best friend. 

Throughout college I had roommates and they have turned into my best friends. Having a wife/husband is your roommate for life. Can you see yourself being that person's roommate? Can you see yourself sharing everything with them? Can you see yourself enjoying spending quality time with them? Can you see yourself keeping a house clean together? Can you see yourself being adventurous and fun with them? Can you handle conflicts with them? Do you embrace their imperfections? Can you work as TEAMMATES to win at this game called LIFE? If you can, then what God is saying is, "That's her" "That's him". 

Be with someone who is going to be there for you. Be a brother/sister to someone you love forever. Be a friend to someone who supports and cares for you. BE. A. TEAMMATE. 

This concludes my 2nd blog. Thank you for reading and ANY feedback is much appreciated 

Thanks,

Chris

God First God Bless

What Is The Purpose?

"Being a teammate" is a concept that I have carried with myself, on and off the court, for the past 8 years. I played for an elite high school program at Corona Centennial High School and an elite DI college program at UNM. Both programs know how to win and expect greatness. I was never the star player. In fact, I never started in high school and I only saw the floor if we were up 20 or 30 points in college. Could have I played  a more significant role for a different high school team or a different college, I like to think so. But I have always been so driven to WIN and to be a part of something that not a lot of people get to experience. And as we learn throughout our lives, personal experience is the best teacher. So I decided that, just being a basketball player wasn't enough for me, I decided to become a TEAMMATE. 

A player, in any team sport, is someone who plays for them self. A player looks to make theirself look good. A player says after a loss, "Well I did my part." A player strives for individual milestones. A player does not lead their team. A player does not help his team. A player...will NEVER be a champion. 

A teammate, in any team sport, plays for the team. A teammate looks to make the team look good (ie: winning). A teammate says after a loss, "What could have I done more to win this game?" A teammate strives for championships. A teammate will lead their team. A teammate will help their other teammates. A teammate...will become a CHAMPION. 

Readers, I am 22 years old and I have 4 championship rings. And as I get into coaching, I am looking to add more to my collection. The main reason why I've been a part of championships is not because I was a player, not because I wanted the spotlight, not because I wanted to make myself look good, but because I dedicated myself to become a teammate of winning programs. Was it easy to be a part of these two elite programs? NOT EVEN CLOSE. It was difficult to have the discipline, have the physical ability, and have the dedication to be a part of winning programs. If it was easy everybody could do it. 

I worked as hard as the starters, I worked as hard as the scholarship players, but as you learn in team sports, not every player's role is going to be the same, but every role is needed. If I didn't plays role right, if I didn't have the right attitude, I probably would have quit and more importantly, I could have negatively affected my teams to where we didn't get those championships. 

Readers, I got to be a part of a DI team and not just any team, the UNM Lobos, a team I dreamed of playing for. I didn't do it by impressive stats or impressive athleticism. I mean, I look at high school players in New Mexico and I see most of them either have my lack of athleticism to have way more athleticism...Why me? Why did Coach Alford let me walk-on to his program? Out of all the players he could have recruited, why did he choose a 6 foot, 165 pound Hispanic from Corona, California? 

I didn't do it selfishly, I played for my team, I played hard and to be honest, for the high school players that are getting recruited or want to get recruited...if you show you can gain impressive and efficient stats by playing within your team and leading your team, you will be on a college basketball team. If I could be a part of one, so can you.

Thanks for reading my first blog, hopefully it has helped you in either athletics, everyday life, or both. Please respond with feedback, especially criticism because I want to do my absolute best to take what I have learned, and share it with my readers.

Thanks again,

CP

God First, God Bless