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Someone is always going to be hating on LeBron. People were mad when he left Cleveland for Miami…to win championships, and now they’re mad that after winning championships, he opted to become a free agent so that he could possibly win more.

Now that the dust has settled, it looks like the Three Kings, James, D.Wade and Chris Bosh worked out a deal to take less money so that the Heat could acquire the kind of players that will help them get back on top.

But don’t get it twisted. LeBron didn’t do that out of loyalty to the Heat. He did it because he is first and foremost a winner.

Comedian Dominique said LeBron  is commitment challenged and she could be right. Look back at his life. His bio talks about how his dad had no interest in being part of his or his mom’s life and left at an early age. His mom had trouble staying employed and they bounced from apartment to apartment. That meant he probably learned at an early age to be wary of getting too attached to anyone or anything. The jokes write themselves. Everyone from his cell phone carrier and his family, to his barber and his Pastor should be on notice…he’s going to always be looking for the best situation.

But when I was discussing this with a friend of mine, I started to think about my own life and how I had no problem leaving one job for another one if it was better for me and my family…no matter what it meant to the people who thought I was making a mistake.   Yet, I came from a two-parent home, lived in the same house and had the same friends and family around me from birth until I went to college.

That made me think that maybe LeBron isn’t commitment challenged at all…maybe he’s failure-challenged…and I am too.

I have never been willing to settle for failure and every decision I’ve made since leaving Tuskegee, Alabama was a strategic move to do better. Was it always good for the people who wanted me to stay? Almost never. Did I let that stop me? Almost never.

I don’t believe that anyone who is truly success oriented and determined to win can spend time worrying about how those around him them will be impacted by their decision.

Whether it’s basketball or radio or politics, those who rise to the top have learned to do it by making tough choices that are rarely the most popular ones.

If everyone thought this way, the world would be a disastrous place to live in. Everyone would be out for themselves, no one would get married and stay married, and no one would make sacrifices for the sake of others. Thankfully that isn’t the case. Most people do think of others and do live their lives making move after move that’s best for those around them.

But I think people should be honest about what they want and what they’re willing to do to achieve it.

Once you reach the top of your game, I’m here to tell you, there’s time to give back and do what you can in your own way. For example, LeBron is now in the position that he can take a pay cut for the sake of building a championship team. I’ve made the same kinds of sacrifices when I got to the top of my game.  My tunnel vision as I climbed the ladder has landed me in a place where I can now afford to do things I always dreamed I’d be able to do. You say, “must be nice?” I say, “yes, it is!”

And if you have you have children it’s time to have this discussion with them. Do you want to be popular or do you want to rise to the top of your profession? You can rarely do both.

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