Michael Jordan once said that, "I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying."
Those words would perhaps best capsulate the effort of a four-time NBA All-Star and Olympic gold-medal winner, Vin Baker, as he tries to bounce back from his failures in life. Just recently, it was reported that Baker is currently working as a barista in preparation for his role as a Starbucks manager. He is in the process of learning the crafts of the trade as he would be handling more complex operational level of the business soon.
He has Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, to thank for the opportunity to redeem himself. It can be remembered that Schultz was the former team owner of Seatle Supersonic where Baker used to play from 1997 to 2002. It is through this act of kindness that Baker would be able to have a second chance to participate in the so-called game of life after series of fouls he committed through his alcoholism and financial missteps. In an interview with providencejournal, he said that;
"When you learn lessons in life, no matter what level you're at financially, the important part to realize is it could happen. I was an alcoholic, I lost a fortune. I had great talent and lost it. For the people on the outside looking in, they're like 'Wow.' For me, I'm 43 and I have four kids. I have to pick up the pieces. I'm a father. I'm a minister in my father's church. I have to take the story and show that you can bounce back. If I use my notoriety in the right way, most people will appreciate this guy is just trying to bounce back in his life."
All of us might have committed some errors in our life, and it is up to us to try our best and reclaim ourselves from the results of our human frailties. Like Vin Baker, all we have to do is bounce back, and remember that once a basketball hits the floor hard, it would bounce back high.
