4.25 Shaquille O'Neal: Nobody is Perfect

“Me shooting 40% at the foul line is just God's way to say nobody's perfect.” - Shaquille O’Neal

What is one thing you wish you could change about yourself?

Nobody is perfect. Everyone has their flaws; the key is not letting your flaws hold you prisoner or hold you back.

I played college basketball, and my biggest flaw was that I was short. I was often the shortest person on the court, and I spent too much time hoping, wishing, and praying that I was taller.

If I could do it all over again, I would have better leveraged my height as a strength, focusing on getting quicker and faster so that my taller opponents wouldn’t be able to keep up with me. I would have focused on finding ways to turn my flaws into strengths.

Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most dominant basketball players in the history of the sport. At his peak, no one could stop him, except that he couldn’t make free throws. Teams would do what was called Hack-a-Shaq, where they would foul him and put him on the free-throw line. Shaq once said, “Me shooting 40% at the foul line is just God's way to say nobody's perfect.”

In a perfect world, Shaq would have gotten better at making free throws, but never let that stop him. He stayed confident despite his flaws and still won 4 NBA championships. You are never going to be perfect, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be great. 

Work hard to improve your flaws, but don’t let them stop you or kill your confidence.

Question of the Day: What is one flaw you have, and what can you do to overcome it?