Wild at Heart

My wife and I decided about a month back that we should stop watching so much TV and social media, and read some more. Whether they were magazines or books, just something that would get us feeling a little bit more intellectual about ourselves. I've never been much of a reader up until now. One of the only books that I can remember reading up until about a month ago was one of the Harry Potter books that I was forced to read in elementary school. I guess I was one of those kids that stuck to the kid saying of " Reading isn't cool". Anyway, the past few months I've read the Hunger Games trilogy, as well as a book written by Tony Dungy. The latest book that I read was called Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. My wife suggested this book to me and when I read the intro, I was iffy on whether I would be interested in the book. It seemed really sappy and seemed to be a book about getting in touch with your feelings. I read it anyway, and was surprised at all the things in the book that I learned about not only myself, but about how to be a better husband. The book describes how we as men don't feel of any worth without having some type of adventure. We must have something to go after, and there must be some sort of uncertainty on whether we will fail or succeed to test our "manhood". Eldredge says, " A man is never more of a man than when he embraces in adventure beyond his control, or when he walks into a battle he isn't sure of winning". I never realized how true this really was, but for me, I like the challenge of being able to go after something. When I accomplish that challenge, I feel like I'm on cloud 9 and that's one of the greatest feelings as a man. It also taught me a lot about women, particularly my wife. Woman have to feel as though they are desired, wanted, and cherished. They want a man to fight for them. Look at all the stories we hear as children. The classic example that I can think of is one of my favorite movies growing up, Aladdin. Aladdin had to fight for Princess Jasmine. She wanted to be desired and loved. As men sometimes we don't always express our love for our wives or girlfriends. We don't make them feel desired or cherished, and when that happens, they tend to find that feeling of desire from someone else. A true man desires his wife, cherishes his woman, and tells his woman everyday about how much he loves her. I recommend this book to any man no matter what age or where you are in your life. It will help you learn more about trusting in your faith, what it takes to be a man, and how to love your spouse. I'll leave with a quote that described my life perfectly. Oswald Chambers says, " We look upon uncertainty as a bad thing….Certainty is the mark of the common sense life; gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, we do not know what a day may bring forth". 

Fear

Every game day we have chapel in the morning before our shoot around. This week spoke to me so I decided that I would write about it and share my thoughts on our subject of fear. We were referring to the story in the bible on how God was delivering the Israelites and sending them to the promised land. 12 men went to search out the land and they saw that there were people living there. 10 of the 12 men were astonished by the size and might of the people that were living there and instead of trusting in God's plan that this was their promised land, they didn't want to face the challenge of acquiring the land from those that lived there. So this had me thinking about some of the things that we may fear in our lives. We all have fear of something in our lives regardless of where we are in life. Is it fear of failure? success? providing? Whatever your fear may be, one thing that we don't realize is that fear is doing nothing positive in our lives. Fear is only creating a sense of negativity around our lives that can cripple us. We become so caught up in our fear that we becoming shackled to that thought of fear and become a prisoner to that fear. What do you fear? For me personally, I've always had a fear of failure. I've always been a pretty confident person and confident in my abilities, but at times I'm scared of what will happen to me if I fail. If I fail will I be able to get back up and try again? Or Will I fail and crumble into a downward spiral of negativity? I have to believe that I will be the man that gets back up and continues to try because I believe that is my nature. But I know not everyone has that belief in their self, and I hope that this can help them overcome that fear. There's a saying that the worst part about failure is if you don't ever try because of your fear in failure. Even the famous quote, " We have nothing to fear, but fear itself". Instead of putting all our feelings and our complete self into that sense of fear, we must put all of our being into FAITH. FAITH? Yes, faith! Have the faith in your abilities that whatever your a poised to do in this life, that you will do it to the best of your ability and that you have that same faith that you will be successful. Don't fear failure! Don't fear anything because that is the perfect opportunity for the enemy to attack that fear and make you doubt yourself. One of the worst things that we can do as human beings is doubt ourselves because once you do that, then your done! No one can take away that doubt in your mind but yourself. Yes people can help chip away at that doubt, but ultimately it is battle within yourself. You have to stand up and say, " I will not doubt myself, I will not live in fear, but I will live in FAITH". Do you want to be shackled, crippled, chained by your fear? Or Do you want to be free, confident, and faithful that God has placed you on this earth for a reason and whatever that reason is, you will fulfill that calling and be successful in the process. The choice is up to you! Live in fear or dwell in FAITH? 

Basketball : The Journey Pt. 2

 With all the uncertainty going on in our life back in the Dallas area, my wife and I decided that this had to be a sign from God. What was he trying to do in our lives and in my basketball life specifically? When I got back home, my family and I sat down and talked about what would be coming next. We didn't like the way that my agent had been working for me, and we came to the decision that we must go a different direction. When I got hooked up with my next agent, they thought the best thing for me to do would be to continue playing somewhere while we searched for something better. We got an offer from a team in Uruguay and decided that this would be the best situation for right now. So I packed up my bags and got on a plane to a country that I had no idea about. When traveling overseas, you never know what to expect. There are so many questions that you wanted answered, but a lot of the time you must figure out the answers to those questions yourself. That's one thing I will always be grateful for about playing professionally overseas because it taught me how to be more independent, as well as becoming more of a man. I landed in Uruguay, and was immediately surprised by how beautiful this country was. It was almost like I was in Florida with the beautiful palm trees and the sun beating down heavy. I got in and it was a rush to get all my paper work done to be able to play in the game that night. Playing in a game after flying for more than 8 hours? These people have to be crazy right! I thought the same thing, but I had to suck it up and go out there and do what I love to do. I only played a few games in Uruguay before changes started happening within the organization. The coach left the team for a better offer, and with the coaching change there went my shot at staying on the team. When I found out that I would be leaving the team, I was a little bit upset and once again had me wondering if this basketball thing was going to work out for me. As I was waiting to leave the country, I had given them my passport for all the paper work that they had to fill out for me to play. I went 3 days with the team telling me that they would come by my apartment and bring me my passport. They never showed up! I was scared and furious that I wouldn't be able to get out of the country and I would be stuck there. Eventually everything got worked out, and my next offer was to Montenegro. I had no idea where Montenegro was and for some reason the name Montenegro intimidated me. I thought I might be going to some deathly place that I would hate and I would immediately want to get out of there. Man was I wrong! Montenegro was the most beautiful country that I have been to in my life and I was definitely happy about being there. I was in Montenegro shortly before my wife came and joined me. I was on a team that I enjoyed and my wife was with me to make things more comfortable. Life couldn't have been any better at that time. We lost in the first round of the playoffs to a team that we shouldn't have lost to, and I soon figured out how serious management took the game of basketball. We were basically hanging out a week before we got a call on when our flights would be and when we would have a team meeting to get our final payment. My season of uncertainty was over and now it was time for summer. The main part of my summer was taken over by wedding planning and working out mostly. Even though my wife and I were already legally married, we had a wedding ceremony for friends and family on the 17th of August, and headed to our honeymoon in Riviera Maya, Mexico. We had a blast at our all inclusive resort and when we came back it was time for our next adventure. Through that summer it seemed like nothing was happening for me in the sense of basketball. I wasn't getting the offers that we believed were best for us, and we kept waiting for something to come up. In the meantime, I found out about a D- League tryout for the Austin Toros and decided that I would check it out. After going through the tryout, I was pretty certain that I was going to play in the D- League this season. I was drafted by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and played about 16 games for them before being traded to the Erie Bayhawks. My journey hasn't been a conventional or ideal one, but it has been a journey of testing my faith. I will continue to put my faith in God and have him direct my path because the plans that he has for me are bigger/ better than anything that I could have for myself. Have faith and continue to believe! Until the next chapter of my basketball journey.

Bar, Montenegro

Wedding Party

Riviera Maya, Mexico

All Star Break Vacation

Hello World! I know that you guys have been dying (not literally) without any new posts on the Singletary Report, but I'm back. My wife and I decided to take a little vacation to Niagara Falls over our brief All Star break. It happened to also lie on the week of Valentine's, which is definitely a plus. We looked into figuring out what would be the best way to get there and came to the conclusion that we would ride the Greyhound. If you have never ridden a Greyhound bus before, like my wife and I, be prepared to be amazed by the people you will meet along your trip. Don't get me wrong I am incredibly grateful for the ability to get a ride to Niagara Falls, but some of the things we encountered on our trip were interesting to say the least. 9 o'clock in the morning and the first two people that we see in the bus station are having conversations with imaginary people. We had to make a stop in Buffalo, then we were on our way to Niagara Falls. On top of the two imaginary conversations that took place, my wife and I got the privilege to sit next to some people who did NOT believe in deodorant or any kind of smell good. Needless to say, those first two hours of the trip stunk literally. Enough with all of the downers about the trip. We had a great time in Niagara Falls, while staying at the Sheraton on the Falls. The room we were in was located high enough that we could see both the Canadian Falls, as well as the American Falls. It was amazing to actually see one of the great natural wonders of the world and think about how God created something that beautiful for us to enjoy.We found this trip on Groupon, which was a great deal because we got hooked up with tons of little perks. It was definitely a great trip for our relationship. We were able to enjoy a nice romantic getaway, and able to celebrate our 4th valentine's day together (2nd being married). I would have loved to be in the D-League All Star game, but I am glad that I was able to recover mental and physically so that I'm able to finish this season strong. Now I'm ready for what lies ahead in this season, as well as all the things that God has planned for my wife and I. I'll leave you guys with a few pictures of our trip and hopefully you guys will get a little laugh at our photos. Till next time!

Basketball: The Journey Pt. 1

Basketball has always been my refuge and is a game that I love deeply. I was always that kid that said they were going to be an NBA player in the future. I got a scholarship to Texas Tech University to play for the winningest coach in D1 history, Bob Knight. I learned a lot from Coach Knight as a basketball player and even more about what it takes to be a man. Coming out of a pretty successful college career, I thought I would definitely have an opportunity to play in the NBA. When my senior season ended, I had time to sit and think to myself and I always came back to this one question: "What comes next". I think for a lot of basketball players, basketball takes up so much of our lives, that when were without it for a period of time, we don't know what to do with ourselves. Almost like we don't know who we are as individuals besides being basketball players. I eventually found an agent that was going to handle all my workouts, draft process, and marketing. I thought for sure it would be easy to get into workouts and draft camps based on what I had done in college. Those calls for the special team workouts and draft camps never came. I was stuck sitting at home wondering if I was even going to get a shot at playing basketball somewhere. From May till August I sat at home contemplating on what I was going to do. I married my wife August 31, 2011 and found out I was leaving to play in Belgium 2 days later. It was hard to leave so quick especially since we weren't sure when the team would be flying her over. It wasn't the NBA, but it was a chance to play at a high level and make a living doing something that I love to do.
Belgium was a great experience that changed me drastically as a man, husband, and basketball player. My wife was flown over a month after I was. I had never been out of the country and having to start the journey overseas alone wasn't as easy as I thought. It tested my limits and mental toughness. When my wife got there I felt a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I finally had my partner and we would be able to take on this adventure together. The season didn't start as we would have hoped as we went 0-11 up until the first part of December. Basketball overseas is very cut throat, and players started getting cut left and right. The pressure to perform on a team that started off so badly was heavy. It was hard not only on the players, but the staff was on the burner as well. Things started getting weird between me and the coaching staff and I was beginning to wonder, " Am I next"? My playing time began to drop as well as my production. A few weeks went by and I finally got an email from my agent telling me that the team was thinking about releasing me. Releasing me? It immediately infuriated me. I began to become a very negative person and didn't trust in God who was changing my path. I immediately began doubting myself and when you doubt yourself as a person, the enemy has an easy entry to take over and attack. We came to an agreement that I would leave the team and go back home to figure out the next step. So my wife and I got on a plane and headed back home with so much uncertainty.

Throwback Thursday

Hey Guys! In honor of it being Throwback Thursday, I've decided that I would share with you journal entry that I wrote about a year ago. Hope you guys enjoy reading it and I hope that it can help anyone who is in a similar situation!

May 11, 2012

This is the first time that I've actually decided to sit down and start writing in a journal. I've always had a feeling about starting one, but never actually sat down and decided to write one. I guess something was speaking to me today and told me that it would be a good idea for me to document everything that is going on in my life, my thoughts, and my feelings on different things. Yesterday while doing devotional with my wife Alec, we read about how you approach and deal with problems that you encounter. The devotional was telling us not to run away from our problems, but when those problems do arise, that they arise for a reason. God stirs up those problems and difficulties to see how we will react to them. Will we use those problems and that bad situation to turn to him? Or will we just make complaints about why things aren't happening to go our way. That's really speaking to me right now because of the things that have been going on with me in the past year. It's been a bumpy road this past year and a half from basketball to growing up and having multiple responsiblities. Things haven't gone smoothly on the basketball front and I'm learning everyday that playing overseas basketball is definitely different. I've learned that it doesn't matter about how much talent you have or what you feel like you should be entitled to. It's about connections, its about your attitude, and its about letting go and letting God have control of your life. I've become a better believer/ follower in Christ this past year. I think God has put me in these situations for a reason. He wants me to let go of the reigns and turn them over to him and let him guide my path. I've been wanting to read more books lately and just started to get into Tony Dungy's book "Quiet Strength". I've head really good things about this book and have seen/ heard about Tony Dungy being a devote Christian. Something in the chapter that I read today said that Tony learned a very good lesson from his parents early in his life that goes with everything that is going on in my life. "Things will go wrong at times. You can't always control circumstances. However, you can always control your attitude, approach, and response. Your options are to complain or to look ahead and figure out how to make the situation better." This is a slap in the face literally for me because this past year I have done a lot of complaining and wondering why these bad things were happening to me. I think by me getting more into the word of God, I've learned that I have to change my attitude and my approach to these situations to make them better. This is a brilliant concept that has really hit home for me and I will continue to get better in this area of my life. My motto that I have taken lately in my life is USE EVERYDAY TO BECOME BETTER IN WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU DO. BECOME BETTER IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR FAMILY, GOD, YOUR JOB, YOURSELF, ANYTHING! And I will continue to strive to be a better husband, a better individual, and a better follower of Christ my Lord and Savior. I don't really know how to end this things since this is the first journal I've started, but I'll be writing more on my life so that maybe one day this can help my children or help someone else who knows. Till tomorrow. 

First Post

Hello World! My names Mike Singletary and this is my first ever blog. I've been thinking about starting a blog for the longest time and finally (with a big push from my wife Alec) decided to stop talking about it and just do it. It's going to take me a little bit to get use to writing on this thing, but I'll eventually get the hang of it. My whole purpose in starting this blog is to try to help motivate, and encourage to pursue their dreams no matter how big. In this blog I want to be completely honest to my readers about the struggles along my journey as well as the good times. Thanks for stopping by and hopefully you enjoy it! Feel free to leave any advice or comments.