Headspace Q&A: CJ McCollum
Below are quotes taken from CJ McCollum when he spoke with Andy Puddicombe to the Boys & Girls Club at the Portland Dream Center.
On options:
“I wanted to explain to you the different careers that are available to you and in this particular case, meditation is something that I’ve been doing a couple of years actually just trying to get my mind right before the game, just trying to calm my heart rate down. There’s lots of stress, lots of things that go into not only your day-to-day life but mine as well. People think that because I’m in the NBA, I don’t have problems. I still have same problems as lots of you guys. And like they say, more money makes more problems, that’s definitely true."
On centering the mind:
“A lot of my drives to work in the morning—I say work but it means going to basketball—I try to zone in a little bit and try to focus. I play a lot of different music. Obviously, I know y’all like Future and it’s great and all that stuff. But I play a lot of classical music. Music with no words just trying to get my mind right but be really more conscious and thinking better before I start my day. With the Headspace meditation app, that allows you guys to do a variety of things.”
On squeezing in time for himself:
“I try to do a minimum of four minutes of meditation before my drive to work. Most mornings, I do ten minutes. Where I’m from, your life is hectic and lots of stuff is going on all the time, you’re just kind of running around. You guys are probably snoozers, you probably constantly hit your snooze button and try to get extra time to sleep in but it’s important that your mind is sharp and it’s important you take care of your heart. Meditation is a way to improve all of those things. I’m a firm believer in it.”
On sharing meditation:
“I told my family about [about meditation], my mom, my dad, my girlfriend—I try to get all of them to meditate because that’s how you have longevity, not just in your career, but in your life and your daily performance. Tell your brothers, sisters, mom and dads—whoever is taking care of you at home. Tell them about [Headspace] as well because I know what it’s like to babysit younger kids. I’m sure they need help with patience and it helps with my patience and my understanding on how to deal with problems and issues, especially with relationships not just with you and others but family members. […] Give it a shot, and if you like, roll with it, if not, tell someone else about it and tell them to try.”
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