Everyone loves a story where someone defies the odds. When someone overcomes adversity, or has a specific goal in mind, and doesn’t stop working until they achieve that goal, it provides plenty of inspiration for the rest of us. Too often we’ll tell ourselves things such as “I’ll start my diet tomorrow,” “I’ll join the gym next week”, or “I’m not good enough, there’s no point in me even trying.”
But these are simply limiting thoughts. As we’ve seen before, particularly with incredible body transformations, turning your life around really is a case of mind over matter, with one German man recently overcoming and recovering from surgery to get himself a ridiculously ripped rig.
The latest inspirational story to catch our attention is that of African basketball fan Nkwain Kennedy Lamiress. Nkwain – who hails from Cameroon – has used his personal social media platform to illustrate his non-stop work ethic in order to achieve his dreams of playing professional basketball.
His account is inundated with videos documenting his training, whether it be to work on his strength or practice shooting hoops. What’s clear from his videos, is that Nkwain isn’t letting the fact he lives in a war-torn country hold him back. In fact, it could be the factor to actually give him some assistance. Those of us who live in more well-developed countries could well take it for granted, and because we have easy access to training facilities, we can choose to start our journeys whenever we want.
Nkwain doesn’t have access to such luxuries and so has to improvise, as this particular video shows. He’s built his own ball-return chute for his basketball hoop, to help speed up his free-throw practice, and he ties straps around his waist and to some tyres, to help improve his strength and stamina when running and dribbling a basketball.
Other weight improvisation techniques include taping water bottles around his ankles and carrying large sandbags on his shoulders.
What’s also apparent from this particular video clip is that he is always having to train and practice outside, regardless of the weather. Although, other videos on his Instagram account do show him training in an indoor facility.
Ultimately, it’s not easy for him, and as Africa News has previously reported, “Without proper facilities, the 20 year-old trains using makeshift equipment, and techniques he’s taught himself from watching video clips of professional players doing their drills.”
“Sometimes Nkwain has to abandon training altogether and run to safety as government forces and rebels exchange gunfire,” according to Africa News.
Regardless of the political activity in Cameroon, Nkwain doesn’t let it hold him back from working towards his dreams, which he says is to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. “The NBA team I wish to play for is the LA Lakers. It is because LeBron James inspires me a lot. I just want to learn a little bit about his mentality before he retires from the game. I just want to get that little piece of what he has, what makes him great,” he relates.
The takeaway? As Nkwain says himself on his Instagram, “the distance between a dream and reality is called action.” The only person stopping you from realising your own dreams is yourself.