The technique of visualization is really important in attracting what you want in life. Have you ever tried it?
I think the power of visualization, hard work, and healing from your past are three big keys to becoming the person you have always wanted to be. Today’s discussion may sound like a rags-to-riches story, but it’s really about determination, grit, and discovering the life you’ve always wanted — and deserve.
Our guest today, NBA champion Dwyane Wade, knows how the power of visualization can transform your life. Those three keys I just mentioned — visualization, hard work, and healing from the past helped him become one of the greatest athletes of all time, winning the Olympic gold medal and becoming a 13-time NBA All-star. His story is incredible, and I can’t wait for you to hear about Dwyane’s life on and off the court.
Who Is Dwyane Wade?
Dwyane Wade is an NBA champion, Olympic gold medalist, and 13-time NBA All-star. Born in 1982 in Chicago, Illinois, Dwyane Wade starred at Marquette University before joining the NBA’s Miami Heat in 2003. Known as “D-Wade” or “Flash,” he became one of pro basketball’s elite guards, leading the Heat to championships in 2006, 2012, and 2013. Following late-career stints with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade returned to Miami and retired in 2019 as the team’s all-time leader in numerous categories.
He wrote a new photographic memoir titled Dwyane that talks about his hard upbringing in inner-city Chicago, the mentors and coaches that helped carve his career path in basketball, the mindset needed to achieve greatness, and so much more.
The most notable characteristic about Dwyane is his heart. When I talked to his friends and family, they didn’t even mention his accolades, they wanted to talk about how much he cares for others and wants to do the right thing. I was excited to get into that more in our conversation.
The Power of Visualization
Dwyane told me how he grew up on welfare in Chicago. His mom was in and out of jail, and he and his sister shared a small room in their apartment.
“First we were sleeping on the floor, and eventually I remember we got a bed to share. I would go to bed at night crying because I was hungry. We were lucky enough to eat once, sometimes twice per day, but sometimes it may not happen. So I would cry all the time, and my sister would always tell me every night to pray. She’d be like, ‘Ask God what you want.’ And so she always told me before bed because my stomach was hurting so bad, she’d be like, ‘Listen, go into your dreams and visions and picture the world that you want.’ So every night, that was the thing I was excited about. I was excited to go to sleep so I could go into this imaginary world.” – Dwyane Wade
This is where Dwyane learned the power of visualization. He would visualize what he wanted from his family, for his mother, for his dad, and for himself. He carried that vision everywhere he went because that was what made him feel the best. In that world, everything was perfect.
He talks about his sister being his guardian angel. She essentially raised Dwyane until he was nine. Then she took him to his dad’s house and told his dad it was time he took his turn raising Dwyane, so he lived with his father from age nine on. He visited his mother once in jail, but it was too painful for him, and he never visited her there again.
Dwyane’s outlet from the pain of his upbringing became basketball, so he put everything into the sport. He put the work in day in and day out and listened to his coaches even though he describes himself as being a bit “hard-headed” at that age.
“I’ve watched a lot of great athletes not get opportunities or not have the right mentor. I got lucky because I’ve had so many great mentors, and it started from a coaching standpoint.” – Dwyane Wade
One high school assistant coach, Gary Adams, told him that if he really wanted to be great, he needed to show up every day. So every day in the summer, Dwyane worked out with him while his friends were having fun.
“He was like, ‘I’m gonna come pick you up, and I’m gonna hit the horn one time. You better come out and you better be ready. If you’re late one day, I ain’t never coming back.’” – Dwyane Wade
That was the first of many amazing coaches and mentors in Dwyane’s life. But the best was yet to come. Throughout his career, Dwyane had many more mentors, including the one and only Michael Jordan.
