Jason Preston | Confidence and Mindset Will Take You a Long Way

Jason Preston was just drafted by the LA Clippers, but he wasn't a top recruit nor a star on his high school team. He only averaged 2 points per game in high school, and he was on the "C" team in prep school without any college offers. He made his own highlight tape and received an offer from Ohio University. Jason put himself on the national radar after scoring 31 points against Illinois, who was ranked #8 in the country, and now he is preparing for a career in the NBA.

Jason is not the prototypical draft pick, but he said he is not surprised that he has made it to the NBA. Jason said that he dreamed of this and he worked for this. Jon Gordon asked him, "What would you tell kids who have a dream but it isn't looking good right now?"

"Believe in yourself. You will have a lot of people tell you what they think you should do, but they can't live your life. You have to do what is best for you. That comes down to how you believe in yourself. You will be surprised what confidence can do for you and how far it can take you. One of my teammates at Ohio was struggling with his confidence, and I kept talking to him, making him watch film, and giving him positivity, and it is amazing what your mindset and confidence can do for you. A lot of people are skilled and talented, but always having a positive mind and being confident in yourself will take you a long way."

Jon Gordon then said, "Even in the middle of the NBA playoffs, you might see a player lose his confidence in the middle of the game. What do you do to maintain your confidence when your shots aren't going in?"

"You have to think about all of the time and work that you spent on your craft outside of the games. If you have put in the work and things don't work out, you can live with yourself at the end of the day because you did everything that you could. If you put yourself in a position to make the shots that you work on every day and they don't fall that day, then you have to live with the results. Just keep shooting. 

The talent and skill are there, but make sure that you have the mindset and confidence to keep going. The mindset and the belief that says, "I have what it takes and I am going for it, and I am going to keep doing it and playing my game," is important and the difference-maker."

Be excited to learn and discover new things. There are always things to learn and get better. Have fun every day doing what you love doing, and believe in yourself.