The First Step

Step 1

This is a guest article from Cornell Thomas, an american basketball coach and motivational speaker.

Patience is defined as “the level of endurance one can take before negativity”. January

2nd is usually the busiest time for most local gyms and YMCAs. People from all walks

of life sign up for new memberships ready to turn their New Years resolutions into a

reality. They come fully equipped with brand new running sneakers and their “Rocky”

playlist on the iPod. Somewhere around January 15th though something strange occurs.

These new gym enthusiasts realize that their goal of losing 40lbs isn’t happening fast

enough. Widespread panic infiltrates the gym and now the treadmill you used to have to

wait an hour to use is collecting dust.


What happened? Why do gyms all over the country turn into ghost towns two weeks

after new years? When I worked at the local YMCA I saw this phenomenon happen

every year. I finally came to the conclusion that most people don’t have the patience

to get past that first step. The first step in mostly everything in our lives is usually the

hardest one. When you jump out of the plane for the first time, it’s the moments before the jump

that are even scarier than the actual jump itself. Why? Because we anticipate failure. We

see the parachute not opening and have visions of our loved ones watching our demise

on national TV.


Most people that endure that first step get into a positive routine. Eventually they see

the rewards of sticking with it. They even start to question why it was so hard for them

to do it in the first place.


Enjoy the process and you’ll appreciate the product that much more. It all starts with

one step!!


About Cornell Thomas:

Bio: Basketball Coach/Trainer owner of Crossroads Basketball LLC. Motivational Speaker/Life Coach.

“I was two weeks away from my dream. I just received a contract to play professional basketball in Europe and then disaster struck. I ruptured my achilles tendon which ultimately ended my playing career.My career has been a long and windy road that now has me coaching, training, and motivating kids/adults to be the best that they can be. The lessons that I’ve learned through basketball have played a crucial role in helping me get through adversity in life. I hope that by sharing my experiences and stories can do the same for you.”



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