Last evening we had the opportunity to watch LeBron James and the Cavaliers in an exhibition game here in Cincinnati. Gia could not be more excited to witness “The King” and even commented afterwards that she was “going to be a daredevil and DM him!” Of which she did:)

Watching him before, during and after the game was truly inspiring. Interacting with everyone from the referees, to coaches to opposing players, his teammates and let’s not forget the fans, LeBron’s genuine nature lit up the Cintas Center. And then there was the selfie with the fans that brought the crowd to its feet!

Achieving the success and taking the risks that he has, there’s no reason for us not to pick up a pen and some paper and start taking notes. And for Gia? Well, having a positive role model in sports is never a bad thing as sports can teach us so many things about life.

And here is what LeBron has taught many.

1) Don’t Be Afraid to Make Decisions

In 2010 LeBron made ‘The Decision’ to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers to join Miami Heat. The fans were outraged, and his decision became one of the most publicized interviews in the NBA, receiving a lot of hate from Cleveland. Even though he has now re-joined the Cleveland Cavaliers, this decision was such a crucial pivoting point in his career. It shows that he wasn’t afraid of making decisions, upsetting people and potentially making mistakes. He was willing to find out for himself whether playing for Miami was a better option for him. Thus, don’t be afraid of taking risks and making decisions. Without these factors in life, your years will remain the same and you won’t know what could have been.

2) Encourage Improvement in Others

LeBron has said that his mindset is to think about his team first. To think about his team first allows the team to succeed and therefore allows him to succeed. So he encourages others and encourages his teammates to improve their game. Encouragement can be the difference between someone living and someone dying, between a team succeeding and a team failing. By helping others, you help yourself.

3) Don’t Show Weakness

In the spirit of encouraging others, LeBron James has said that he’s determined not to show any weakness around his other teammates. James is considered as the team’s leader and therefore to be a good leader and keep morale up within the team, he won’t show weakness. The others look up to him, and when they see his spirit, it will lift their own.

4) Always Stay Humble

LeBron’s family have never been the type to always agree with him and tell him he’s doing the right thing. They’ve often expressed their feelings to him when they think he’s wrong. He has often said that this is why he has managed to stay so humble over the years. As a team leader, being humble is incredibly important for team morale and being able to pull together as a team during tough times. If you are arrogant, think the world of yourself and always act condescendingly towards others, then you will never be a good leader as no one will won’t respect you. Always stay humble.

5) Take Notes From Other Greats

Taking notes from some of the other greats (not just in basketball or even sports for that matter) is crucial. This allows you to continuously be picking up new wisdom and knowledge, not only in your own specialty, but in other closely related areas. It’s also worth mentioning that when successful figures reach out and ask to learn more about what people do, it shows just how humble they truly are. So take notes!

6) Surround Yourself With Supportive People

The complete reverse of encouraging other people is to surround yourself with people who encourage and support you. Surrounding yourself with people who always put you down and don’t have your back is a cause for disaster. Especially when you’ve been supporting them through the tough times.

7) Accept Others For Who They Are

Accepting others for who they are is the root to having fun and succeeding in life. There’s no arguing, no putting others down, and it allows everyone to just enjoy life rather than constantly be conflicting.

8) Keep up the Persistence

There is absolutely no doubt that LeBron is persistent. Not just on the road to success, but after he’d become an established all-star NBA player. His various awards for ‘most valuable player’, ‘finals MVP’, ‘rookie of the year’ and so on is real life evidence. Not to mention that he’s the Cavaliers all-time leading scorer. Whenever you read up on successful people, or the habits that you need to become successful, you will always see persistence on the menu. Nobody becomes great in a day. Improvement requires persistence.

9) Don’t Let Fear Destroy You

Don’t let the fear of something destroy you. Whether it’s making a decision and upsetting people who might support you or fearing your competitors and the work that they’re putting in – don’t let this get to you. Just keep putting in the work, focusing on yourself and, in his case, the team, and making sure you’re doing all you can to achieve greatness. These are some of the fears that LeBron had to get over when he made the decision to switch teams – upsetting many of his loyal fans and teammates.

But he made the decision for himself and his own life. And we often need to do just that for ourselves.