December 31, 2010
Life
If there is one thing that I truly learned this year is the saying that “all good things must come to an end”. This time last year I was a senior in college, a college basketball player preparing for a basketball tournament in LA and a radio personality on WERS 88.9 FM going on air for New Years and now I sit here a year later with none of those titles. Even though I do not officially hold those titles it doesn’t mean that I am not still those things. Anyone who knows Jeremy knows that I ALWAYS have been and will ALWAYS be a basketball player. It is a lifestyle and mentality that I’ve adopted that will never go away. To be able to hit the court and compete against your opponent both as a team and individually is a feeling that I’ve lived for and continue to carry over in my everyday life and also on my pursuit of a career in entertainment. I am also still a student, I love to study, comprehend and apply theories, information and knowledge that I gain in any field that I focus in. The personality part of me is something that is really natural for me to embrace because even when I was on the radio or in front of the cameras I NEVER put up a façade or created a name that didn’t truly resonate with who I am as a person in REAL life.
What I’ve also come to realize is I’m just another person in this world who is trying to maintain, move forward and make it big. So I won’t be surprised if only 5 people read this blog post when I do post it but my ultimate goal is not for 1 million people to read it right away but eventually, over time. But as long as it motivates at least one person when they read this, it serves its purpose. Everything that I have the power of creating in life and entertainment is done with a purpose to build up to where I really want my life to be and the same goes for my brand. I want those who read this now to grow with me on my journey in life to become the best person I can be and on my journey in entertainment to influence a generation of people and show them my development from someone young who had a dream to becoming someone with major success. This part of this blog post is called “Life”. “Life” right now is literally unbelievable! We lived in 2010 where the 1st BLACK PRESIDENT held office! I’ll say it again BLACK PRESIDENT, when less than 50 years ago the Civil Rights Movement was a massive struggle for African-Americans in this country. I don’t mean to involve race but I reference that story to say this, anything in this world is possible, PERSEVERANCE and DIRECTION is EVERYTHING!™ That goes for people of all races, from all parts of the world.
Basketball
2010 was the last year that I ever played organized basketball for accomplishment and advancement to a next level. If you have read my previous blog posts’ you would know that I was prepared for this time to come 4 years prior to my last game as a college basketball player as I had considered not playing in college. So, now that the time had finally come I felt like I was more at peace with letting go. I knew this time was coming soon and that my dreams to me an NBA player were not attainable a while ago, which is why I chose to attend Emerson College and play for one of the smartest coaches in the country, Hank Smith. My last semester this year was one that I will never forget because I played EVERY game like it was my last, through injury and all. But the experiences I had at practice laughing with my coaches and teammates are what really matter at the end of the day. I’m just glad that I got to set some records in my league as the 1st player to EVER win both Defensive Player and Player of the Year and also the first player ever to have 1500 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists. I’m not writing these accomplishments to brag but basketball has been my life since I was in the cradle. I could have gone to higher level schools and done well but Emerson College is where I chose to go and those are the accomplishments that I attained that no one before had been able to do and I am proud of that. I believe that those accomplishments mirror my work ethic more than just the talent that was given to me because I busted my ass on both ends of the floor every possession of every game!
This year I got 2 opportunities to play basketball over seas in Romania and on top of the offers not being great, my heart was just not into basketball anymore. I say that to bring light to the fact that I am one of the lucky young men who has an opportunity to do be successful in something other than playing basketball and that’s due to the support system my parents and family have given me which I thank God for every day. But so many of my friends and other young men that are my age didn’t have that support system. So what do they do when basketball doesn’t work out? Its not just basketball players but those kids who don’t have support systems or opportunities is the reason why I chose not to pursue a professional basketball career but begin my journey to provide a positive role model to kids in my community and eventually provide positive opportunities for people all over the world.
Jeremy
As I said before, I’m just another person in this world who is trying to maintain, move forward and make it big. To all the young and independent ladies, keep your head up because y'all are the future. To every woman that I've ever loved or shared feelings with, it was for a reason, know that I'll always be here for you if you ever need my help. To all my nillz that are gone, RIP. To all my nillz still here, real recognize real. Everything that I’m doing on my journey to be successful in life and in entertainment are things that other people are doing and that YOU CAN DO, #MYOL. But behind the scenes of all the entertainers, celebrities and sports figures we all love is a person and sometimes fans forget about that. Sometimes we get to see that person and sometimes that is kept personal. 2010 is the year that I made that transition into establishing my brand and what parts of my life I will allow the world to see.
So this is Jeremy Shannon, I’m a person just like you. This year I had my heartbroken by my 1st love, basketball. I went through a couple of months of depression because of that and life experiences from love, family problems, bills, deaths, etc. I had great times and bad times in 2010. On my birthday this year I had to attend a funeral for my dear friend and basketball fanatic, Dwayne Broadus. Like his name, my love for basketball will always live on, RIP Butta! I say all these things because I’ve studied and seen how the world reacts when someone decides to chase their dream in entertainment. The hate, love, fair-weather fans but at the end of the day I want everyone to know that I let you know who Jeremy was before anyone knew who J.Shannon is.
"Make Your Own Lane"™
2010 and Beyond!
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