Jump High. Expect Higher.

Leah Brown on Virginia Commonwealth University's Women's Basketball Team (1981-82)

In times past,  I often felt guilty about having high expectations.   I have been cited directly  as having had, at times, unreasonable expectations.  That comment hit me right between the eyes…but a day later I continued on as if I never heard it.  Is my ability to block out the things that curtail me from striving for practically unattainable goals and taking expectations to a new level, in my DNA?

As I work about the world, I’m starting to believe I’m the exception and not the rule.  There are many people that have gotten by because of their connections, good looks or just being in the right place at the right time.  I’ve had no such luck on all three counts.

Where did I get this drive to go beyond what others won’t do?  No clue.  I was an average student, average athlete.  Average, average, average.  Especially compared to my older sister who was brilliant in math, an accomplished scholar, and every boy’s dream at Seton Hall Prep in the Village of South Orange.

But then I read about Michael Jordan’s story.  No, I can’t jump like he can, but our stories are similar.  We were both very late bloomers.  He was cut from the basketball team his sophomore year in high school.  Me?  I barely passed my business financial courses.  That didn’t stop him or me.

If Michael Jordan had listened to the others that called him obsessive, ball-hog or show-off, where would he be now?  If I had listened to the people that said I had no experience running a business – “It’s too risky,” “No African-American Women can own a multi-million dollar clinical research company,” or “Most businesses will  be out of business in the first year;” where would I be?  Thank God Michael  and I are terrible listeners.