Editorial: Experiencing the effects when you have a breakthrough moment

There are moments in our life where we have the ability to buck the norm or our reputation, essentially stepping out of our shell beyond our limitations. I refer to this as a “breakthrough” because it is essentially eclipsing who you are and pushes you beyond your limitation. The best thing about having a breakthrough moment is that you don’t realize it has happened until hours or even days when it occurs.

Breakthrough moments come in a variety of things. It could be hitting the right key for the first time when singing and going into an all-out heart filled tone, or it could be painting subconsciously and just letting your hand decide which direction to go. Other breakthrough moments can consist of a speech where it starts out with what’s written on the paper to a soul-pouring monologue or playing a song on an instrument and hitting the right chords over and over again. The most common breakthrough moment that many people (but not all) experience is riding a bicycle for the first time without training wheels. Our minds are conditioned to keep our balance when those wheels are attached, but the moment they are gone and we have the freedom to move in other directions without falling, it elevates our level of subconsciousness to know what to do and enjoy it.

My true breakthrough moment didn’t happen until my junior year in college. For us athletes, we always want to continue our careers in some way or some fashion, even if it’s in a pick-up game. For me, I was a mediocre player at best in high school. But on one day in college, I had that breakthrough.

One faithful college day, I was one of the first ones to arrive at the basketball courts and was able to get on the “big court.” (If you’re a student-athlete, you know what it means to play a game on that court). I started at 6 p.m. and felt pretty good about how I was feeling, and the games started. And as the games started, they progressed, more and more games. Win after win came for my team. I was playing the best basketball in my life subconsciously and it felt like I couldn’t be stopped.

As games continued, I found myself doing things I haven’t done before. From drop-step dunks with one hand to bringing the ball down the floor, I felt good. During one game, I guarded a person known as “Beast,” a 6’6” guy who easily outweighed me and had a strong basketball game reputation. Normally, people would double team him, but my wave of emotions were high and I told everybody, “I got him.” Sure enough, I held my own against him. But the final memory of that night was when my team was up by one basket and needed one to win. Constant fouling delayed the game point, and everybody was playing harder. I remember how tired I was, and I was sweating in my shirt when I caught the ball at the elbow and drained a jump shot to win the game. I literally fell out on the floor after than and was picked up by my teammates.

When my team eventually loss, I returned to my dorm room and looked at the clock. It said 9:15 p.m. I was like that can’t be right. But sure enough, it was. One of my friends who was at the game said that my team had won 14 in a row before we were beat off the court. I couldn’t believe that I played so many games so long and played so well. I didn’t recognize that, but it was an out-of-body experience. It was my breakthrough.

With that, I am saying don’t be afraid to experience your breakthrough in moments that you don’t understand. Continue to grow and get better and let your mind wander at times when you’re doing something that you love. The best thing is that great people are made after experiencing a breakthrough. Let that great person be you.