My Top 5 Stories of 2020 and Why I Wrote Them

2020 reflections in writing on Medium

I love the art of reflection and I love the why’s behind why we do what we do and why we write what we write.

In that spirit, each year, I reflect on my 5 most popular articles and why I wrote them.

#5 Get Your Ass Kicked

I have a weekly blog I write which is typically inspired by a quote or something I read. While I was reading from the great Brené Brown, I came across the line, “If you are not in the arena getting your ass kicked on occasion, I am not interested in or open to your feedback.”

This resonated greatly. Especially now. I don’t feel as if I am someone who overshares my opinion or stance on things but I am also a man of conviction who will stand up for what I do believe in.

While meditating on this quote from Brené, it reminded me of the famous quote from Theodor Roosevelt, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

And this must have resonated with a lot of people because my weekly blogs that I import to Medium aren’t usually my ‘most viral’ articles. They are just little nuggets of inspiration. But this little nugget got shared and shared…and took off.

#4 10 Things I Learned After 1 Year on Medium

I originally signed up for a Medium account in March of 2019 but it wasn’t until October of 2019 that I actually became a member and started reading and writing. Why the long wait?

Well, because I didn’t know what to do. Everyone seemed so professional and I didn’t know exactly what to write. But when I started writing and started receiving feedback, I gained more and more confidence to the point where I felt I could pass on what I had learned to other writers, specifically ones like me who weren’t quite sure what to do when they started writing on Medium.

#3 3 Ways to Turn an NBA Internship into a Full-Time Position

After writing 3 Things You Need to Land an NBA Job, I wrote my follow-up piece to turning an NBA internship in to Full-Time Position. My first article hit big, especially on LinkedIn so a follow-up seemed like the next best thing to do.

I’m someone who didn’t necessarily deserve an NBA job. I didn’t play in the NBA, I didn’t have a lot of connections, or even a lot of experience… but I was able to turn what I did have to offer into a 14 year career and counting in a dream position.

What I try and do with these articles is share what I’ve learned along the way and help support and encourage those who are looking to find a similar path.

#2 Is it OK for White People to Post Photos with African Children to Support BLM?

I’ve spent over 20 years of my life traveling and serving overseas. 10 of those years have been in Africa.

When Black Lives Matter protests began to pick up more steam earlier this year, I began noticing a lot of white people posting pictures of them with black children from Africa. And then there were other white people who ‘lead’ missions organizations in African country posting disparaging photos of black people and black teenagers in America while simultaneously posting photos of black children they support in Africa. There’s probably not enough words to describe that… sad, disgusting, heartbreaking, disturbing.

I decided to write an article on this topic specifically. I would like to write more on short-term missions when the time is right but for this article, I wanted a more specific angle. And I didn’t want the angle to be just from me so I interviewed a few other people including those who live in Africa.

#1 As a Closet Liberty University Alumnus, My 5 Recommendations

Well, this by far, has been my most viral article and yet sometimes… I wish I were still in the closet.

Just yesterday I was updating my LinkedIn profile and was disturbed to see the Liberty logo on it. Do I just ignore the fact that I went to college? Or do I hope the one who reads my resume doesn’t know Liberty University?

Ideally, it would affect my career of job opportunities and if anyone had any questions, they would just ask, but you never know… at the same time, it’s part of my story and part of my journey, and all I can do is carry on from there.

Bonus (one of my favorites): Love After Death

This story is about my sister and her husband Will.

My sister, to this day, continues to spend her husband’s birthday with him, even years after he passed.

I asked Angie if she would be okay if I shared it and she didn’t mind.

When talking about Angie and Will, it always brings me both hope and tears. And I think that’s one of the best things you can have in life… the tears because it was special and meant something and then hope because we always look forward to a brighter day.

Thanks for joining me on Medium during the crazy year of 2020!

It’s been a pleasure ‘meeting’ so many of you on here. Thank you for reading my stories and poems. And thank you for allowing me the pleasure of reading yours!