Everything Happens When And How It's Supposed To Happen
Before he was infamously known as "Mr. Big Shot," before he was the 2004 NBA Finals MVP, before he was a 5-time NBA All-Star, Chauncey Billups' career in the NBA appeared to be over before it started. The key word here is "appeared."
Billups, the third pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, played for 5 different teams--the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, and Minnesota Timberwolves--within the first 4 years of his NBA career. He was on the verge of becoming a draft bust and an NBA journeyman--bouncing from team to team for the duration of his career.
However, instead of accepting the labels assigned to him or succumbing to perceived failures, Billups embraced his circumstances and used them as opportunities to learn, to grow, and to build a solid foundation. Billups acknowledged that it wasn't about "right now," but rather about developing into the best possible player he could become. He served as the backup point guard in Minnesota where he credits his time there as being transformative, learning valuable lessons under the tutelage of NBA veterans. When he finally got his chance to start at point guard for Minnesota in 2001--due to a season ending injury to starting point guard Terrell Brandon--the rest was history.
After a breakout season with Minnesota, Billups signed as a free agent with the Detroit Pistons in
the summer of 2002. He would go on to lead the Pistons to win the 2004 NBA Championship, have a solid 17-year NBA career, and garner accolades including, but not limited to, those outlined in the first paragraph.
In his Players' Tribune article, where he wrote a letter to his younger self, Billups stated:
"When you get traded, out of the blue, as a rookie in Boston. When you feel confused, and frustrated, and discouraged, in Toronto. When you hear the whispers that Chauncey’s not a point guard in Denver. When the injury bug hits you, at the time you least can afford it, in Orlando. And when you check into the Last Chance Hotel in Minnesota. Stay patient. Stay patient, Chauncey. Because that--all of that--is your journey."
Each of us has a unique path. It may be unconventional. It may take some of us more time than we initially thought it would take to reach an end goal. And it's definitely going to be frustrating at certain points. But guess what? It's okay.
What's for you, is for you. What is meant to happen will eventually come to pass. Embrace your very personal, unique journey for what it is--an opportunity to grow, learn, and mature--and all that it entails. Stay devoted to the vision that you have for your life, even if it does not occur on the timetable you preconceived that it would.
This is easier said than done, isn't it? As humans, it's in our nature to want what we want, when we want it. We may not be mature enough or ready to receive those things. God's plans for us can be drastically better than the plans we have conjured up for ourselves. Yet and still, we want it right now. It's either our way, or the highway.
Trust me, I've been there. I've had one-year, three-year, five-year, and ten-year goals for my life. While I accomplished some goals within my desired timeframe, others took a little longer to scratch off the list than I initially wanted, or some did not pan out exactly how I wanted them to. This is because I was--and continue to be--on God's time, as opposed to my own. When I began acknowledging this and fully trusting in God's timing, the outcomes in my life were far greater than I could've ever imagined.
When you recognize that the trajectory of your life is guided by Divine Influence, the setbacks, delays, and perceived failures that occur along the way to realizing your dreams will not seem that significant in the grand scheme of things. You will realize that everything happens in order to put you in a better position for the future.
You are certainly capable of doing anything you put your mind to and accomplishing the goals you have set for yourself. However, that doesn't mean it will happen when and exactly how you want it to, and it definitely doesn't mean that you won't endure any trials along the way to accomplishing your goals.
Be patient. Be persistent. Remain steadfast regardless of delay in attaining your desired outcomes. The seemingly adverse positions you find yourself in are merely opportunities to grow--in faith and in effort. Be faithful knowing that the work you put in will eventually pay off, and if it doesn't go exactly the way you envisioned it would, trust that God's plan for you is perfect. Everything happens when and how it's supposed to happen. You can't rush greatness, but you can consistently work towards it until you inevitably get there.
