Life Lessons from Metta World Peace

By Taylor Brim on May 1, 2012

If you are not a sports fan, then you might not have heard of  Metta World Peace. No, this is not a charity for shoeless children in third world countries. Metta World Peace is a  professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers, and that really is his name.

 

Okay, he wasn’t exactly born with that name. His original name was Ron Artest, and he has a lot to teach you and I.

Recently, Metta World Peace was suspended seven games during the NBA Playoffs for a flagrant foul to OKC Thunder player, James Harden, that resulted in a concussion. This foul should be shocking and abnormal, but it’s just the opposite coming from this guy. Not only does World Peace have a violent past, but he was also just voted the second dirtiest player in the NBA. So, with his name change, World Peace has reached the epitome of irony.

Here is where I am going with this: Metta World Peace is also a phenomenal basketball player. A few of his accomplishments include winning a NBA Championship, Defensive Player of the Year in ’04, NBA All-Star, and earning a spot on the All-Definsive first team twice. To put this in perspective, most NBA players never even get to sniff the title, much less earn all these accomplishments along the way. However, his actions on the court blemish his stellar resume, leaving an unpleasant after-taste despite his sweet career.

The legacy of Metta World Peace truly emphasizes how important your character is. You can be extremely talented, yet accomplishment will always be overshadowed by unrefined character. World Peace could be recognized as one of the most key players in the NBA. Instead, his flying elbows are a highlight on SportsCenter, constantly reminding the public of his mistakes. That is another tricky thing about today’s society too: not only are they pretty intolerant of incompetent behavior, they are unforgiving too.

NFL coach, Bill Belichick, said it best: “Talent sets the floor, character sets the ceiling”.

The next time something does not go your way, ask yourself, “How do I want to be remembered?” As soon as you start flying elbows and throwing punches, you are creating your own reputation. You may not watch basketball, but we can all learn a lesson from Metta World Peace: live a life full of highlights of slam-dunks instead of re-runs of your poor performances.

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