Lessons to Learn from Lamar Odom

Former NBA Champion Lamar Odom’s life had been laced with tragedy from a very young age. Recently he was found unconscious at a Nevada Ranch after a night of fun, alcohol and partying.

I took some time to really do some research and ask myself how a man so successful could be found in this state? I am passionate about Personal Development of individuals and I will always maintain and preach that development or success have nothing to do with what a Degree says about you, it has nothing to do what people may think about you but more to do with self and how your journey to actualization is. Who are you besides the money, the fame, the house, the rich parents or family? Who are you when you are alone and days are dark and no one is in your corner?

I took an interest in Lamar’s journey as a successful basketball player and someone who once represented the United States Basketball team . For those of you who take things likely, no one just makes it to any National sporting team without a proven track record of success and hard work.

Who is Lamar Odom? I respect people’s success journeys and if he did not have one , I would quickly have answered and said he is Khloe Kardashian’s ex husband and a Reality Star on E Entertainment but he is clearly more than that.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2003–2004 – Miami Heat 2004–2011 – Los Angeles Lakers 2011–2012 – Dallas Mavericks 2012–2013 – Los Angeles Clippers 2014 – Laboral Kutxa (Spain)

CAREER AWARDS  2× NBA champion (2009–2010) ▪ NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2011 ▪ NBA All-Rookie First Team (2000) ▪ First-team All-Atlantic 10 (1998) ▪ Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year (1998) ▪ Parade Player of the Year (1997) ▪ 2× Parade All-American (1996–1997

Now that we have established how successful of an athlete Lamar was. Let me get down to the gist of the matter.

Lamar Odom lost both his parents at the age of 12. That is a very crucial time in a young man’s life. His mother died of colon cancer and his Father was a heroin junkie. If you watch the Kardashians you should be familiar with Lamar’s Dad. Although his Father is alive, to me he was technically non existent. Therefore in all honesty this young man lacked a father figure in his life. I am a grown woman and if had to happen to me I cannot tell you how I would take it. Now imagine a 12 year old boy?

Lamar was raised by his grandmother. Sound familiar? Of course it does. How many children are raised by their grandmothers in our own country and Africa largely? Is Lamar another statistic of how a firm childhood upbringing and “motherly and fatherly” mentorship is necessary. Probably, YES!

In his college years Omar received a citation for soliciting a prostitute. I want to highlight this so you can see where and how trouble probably started brewing in Lamar’s life from a young age. At some point in his career Lamar was also suspended for breaking the NBA ‘s anti drug policy. He admitted to smoking marijuana. Bad habits are often overlooked and taken lightly by young man but in the bigger picture all these small things will either work or count against you.

Fast forward to 2015. Lamar has gone through a divorce. He has lost his best friend who also overdosed on drugs. He clearly is not the “fresh and favourite” guy with the Kardashians. He married Khloe a month into meeting her, bad decision if you ask me. After his separation from her his career also started to spiral down. His decision making was also skew. How does a successful athlete enter into a Reality show and even sign up for another one? He should take lessons from Kanye West who did not sign into the Kardashian reality pack after marrying Kim.

What can one learn from Lamar Odom and his recent stunt that nearly cost him his life?

1. The company you choose will make or break you. Lamar already had a track record with prostitution and drugs etc. It is important to choose good friends. Friends who are wise and who are able to be honest with you even if it pisses the day lights out of you. Friends who know your strong points and will remind you if that as well as help you focus on just being good at what you do. Good friends are not intimidated by your title and material wealth, they see and know you for who you really are and that does not scare them, they stick around.

2. Look into your closet and make sure it’s clean. I have a past scarred with Daddy issues and day by day I am doing my best to deal with them. Sometimes I don’t want to and sometimes I am not even bothered I just want to close that door and pretend that it’s not me. The truth is Lamar Odom has a closet that clearly needs some cleaning up. This is a tough job and often why we choose not to deal with our childhood or terrible experiences is because it’s easier to walk away. It’s easier to drink the pain away or go on a drug or sex binge. It numbs the pain and the reality that your past is messed up and it needs cleaning. There are so many of us walking around acting like everything is hunky dorry when deep down inside we are falling into pieces. We are ashamed to ask for help because everyone is depending on us to keep it together. Let me tell you a secret. You will fail. If you already falling apart that means whatever you are doing it’s not working.

3. It’s not enough to know what your issues are. These issues need to be dealt with. We are spirit beings and things that affect our spirit can be sexed or drank or talked away. They can’t. They require courage, prayer and faith because the 3 things will lead us to our healing.

4. Own you life. It’s all well and good to own your success but do you own your weaknesses as well as past failures. Do you accept and understand that these things do not DEFINE you but they are a part of your journey and a window to who you are as an individual, the choices you made (good and bad) and how they shaped you? You don’t have to flaunt your dirty past or share it with the next person but in order for us to be all rounded and successful beings we have to own our lives taking all stock of good and bad. Even the bible says “come as you are” to Christ. You don’t have to clean yourself up to qualify for his love and grace. This means even he who created you is aware of your short comings.

5. Accountability. Lamar is accountable for where he is in life right now. He is accountable for how this affects him, his relationships and his career going forward. If we were talking about the same 12 year old boy who lost his parents , we definitely could be more lenient but he is not. He is an adult who knows right from wrong. He is aware of the decisions he made and what led to him being on air of News Channels like CNN and BBC as well as all major international tabloids for a 3 day binge that almost left him dead. If you do not learn to account for your decisions, your mouth and the words you utter about yourself and others. If you do not learn to account for the decisions you make, the relationships you build, watch out!!

6. Before I continue preaching even though I don’t mean to. God gives us a thousand chance to make right. We live under his grace. Lamar has a second chance at life. He has a second chance of being a wise man and a wise father who takes into account his children and those around him who love him. I pray no matter what struggles he has, he does not throw that away. You and I may not have the kind of money this man has to spend at a private ranch drinking and partying a storm but they are choices we are making now that will lead us to a hospital bed. There are associations we may have that are not good for us, we need to let them go so we can save ourselves.

God bless you! Be safe! Be bold! Be aware of who you are and why God brought you into this world and do your best to live it to the fullest. Don’t run. Face your challenges head on, believe in yourself and that you have what it takes to conquer. Unless you change, NOTHING WILL!!!