[Music]
[Applause]
what if I told you there was a way to
overcome all your obstacles to win at
everything you do and to make every
stumbling block a learning experience
would you want to know the way all of
this is possible by choosing to eat
adversity every human being and business
is faced with adversity at some point of
their lives the dictionary definition of
adversity is pain sorrow difficulty
misfortune my definition is to learn
grow overcome prevail if it wasn’t for
versity I wouldn’t be standing here
today let me take a moment and share a
little my story with you as a kid
growing up in Mississippi basketball was
my life morning noon and night it stayed
on my mind all I ever dreamed was to
compete at the highest level so I set my
heart my body and soul to do so after
earning the Naismith national high
school player of the Year award
I thought I was on my way and nothing
could stop me
so I committed to the University of
Michigan and I was eager to live up to
all the hype and press that surrounded
me not even halfway through my freshman
season in a game versus our biggest
rival miss
can state I was coming off a screen to
catch the ball and I felt a sharp stab
in my right knee
I immediately collapsed players coaches
trainers all rushed to my aid I could
remember hearing them say Jerrod Jerrod
just relax please relax but I couldn’t
get up now as a young athlete or young
adult for that matter you’re never
really prepared to hear any devastating
news I had to have surgery to repair a
torn meniscus soon after that I began to
rehab after all I wanted to prove that I
was the best at what I did not even nine
months later in a game versus Washington
State after a strong drive to the basket
it felt as if my left knee just exploded
I was in excruciating pain
as I laid in a narrow tunnel weak
magnetic fields scanning my body in
complete silence I thought to myself why
me not again
please not again after what seemed like
eternity the results was finally in the
doctor walked into the room and he says
Jerrod I’m sorry to inform you but you
have torn your ACL you can imagine how I
felt
see adversity is a true test of your
mental toughness it’s not what you go
through
it’s what you grow through so I began to
dig deep deep inside and coach myself to
Edie adversity I started with II embrace
the adversity I needed to stop asking
the question why me we all know you
cannot move forward looking back that
led me to a taking actions one’s ability
to change change takes commitment and
the willingness to risk
lastly t thrive to develop to grow that
whole year while rehabbing away from
family and friends I refuse to let my
circumstances consume me I leaned into
the belief that what doesn’t kill you
makes you stronger so I fully committed
myself to the rehab process which almost
took a year
I went on to play professional
basketball 14 years and it is taken
myself and my family around the world I
would never forget what it took to get
me here and I’m humbled by my experience
see as unbelievable as it may sound
adversity is necessary because it
teaches us to evolve in a way that is
unconventional a lot of us allow
adversity to eat away at us rather than
to be few by adversity so my friends
I’ll leave you with this when faced with
adversity or hardship stay hungry and
eat adversity
[Applause]
[Applause]
what if I told you there was a way to
overcome all your obstacles to win at
everything you do and to make every
stumbling block a learning experience
would you want to know the way all of
this is possible by choosing to eat
adversity every human being and business
is faced with adversity at some point of
their lives the dictionary definition of
adversity is pain sorrow difficulty
misfortune my definition is to learn
grow overcome prevail if it wasn’t for
versity I wouldn’t be standing here
today let me take a moment and share a
little my story with you as a kid
growing up in Mississippi basketball was
my life morning noon and night it stayed
on my mind all I ever dreamed was to
compete at the highest level so I set my
heart my body and soul to do so after
earning the Naismith national high
school player of the Year award
I thought I was on my way and nothing
could stop me
so I committed to the University of
Michigan and I was eager to live up to
all the hype and press that surrounded
me not even halfway through my freshman
season in a game versus our biggest
rival miss
can state I was coming off a screen to
catch the ball and I felt a sharp stab
in my right knee
I immediately collapsed players coaches
trainers all rushed to my aid I could
remember hearing them say Jerrod Jerrod
just relax please relax but I couldn’t
get up now as a young athlete or young
adult for that matter you’re never
really prepared to hear any devastating
news I had to have surgery to repair a
torn meniscus soon after that I began to
rehab after all I wanted to prove that I
was the best at what I did not even nine
months later in a game versus Washington
State after a strong drive to the basket
it felt as if my left knee just exploded
I was in excruciating pain
as I laid in a narrow tunnel weak
magnetic fields scanning my body in
complete silence I thought to myself why
me not again
please not again after what seemed like
eternity the results was finally in the
doctor walked into the room and he says
Jerrod I’m sorry to inform you but you
have torn your ACL you can imagine how I
felt
see adversity is a true test of your
mental toughness it’s not what you go
through
it’s what you grow through so I began to
dig deep deep inside and coach myself to
Edie adversity I started with II embrace
the adversity I needed to stop asking
the question why me we all know you
cannot move forward looking back that
led me to a taking actions one’s ability
to change change takes commitment and
the willingness to risk
lastly t thrive to develop to grow that
whole year while rehabbing away from
family and friends I refuse to let my
circumstances consume me I leaned into
the belief that what doesn’t kill you
makes you stronger so I fully committed
myself to the rehab process which almost
took a year
I went on to play professional
basketball 14 years and it is taken
myself and my family around the world I
would never forget what it took to get
me here and I’m humbled by my experience
see as unbelievable as it may sound
adversity is necessary because it
teaches us to evolve in a way that is
unconventional a lot of us allow
adversity to eat away at us rather than
to be few by adversity so my friends
I’ll leave you with this when faced with
adversity or hardship stay hungry and
eat adversity
[Applause]
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