Attendees at the 2022 National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) in Orlando, Fla. were treated to a special keynote speaker. NBA Hall-of-Famer and successful businessman Rick Barry shared his keys to success.

 Barry, the only player to lead the NCAA, ABA and NBA in scoring, is one of the Top 50 NBA players of all-time. He was MVP of the 1974-75 NBA Finals where his Golden State Warriors won the league championship. In the old ABA (American Basketball Association), he won a title with the Oakland Oaks during the 1968-69 season.  He is one of the most celebrated players in NBA history, not only for his incredible game skills but for the fiery competitiveness he brought to the court each night during his illustrious career.

 Recently, he was also named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

 The word competitor more than described Barry on the basketball court. He brings that same energy, enthusiasm and passion to his business dealings.

 “Are you willing to pay the price to be successful,” Barry asked NS3 attendees. “Paying the price means sacrificing and taking roads less traveled. The same qualities I learned to be successful in basketball applies to business as well. The roads to success are always under construction. Everyone wants to be successful and improve their business, but to become successful you have to have the proper attitude.”

 Throughout the presentation, Barry showed slides of famous people he personally knows and/or admires whose words of wisdom he has followed. From Muhammad Ali, Brooks Robinson and Reggie Jackson to Ted Williams, Scott Hamilton, Jesse Owens, Abraham Lincoln and even Socrates, all had philosophies critical for success.

 Attitudes are so important, Barry pointed out, as are the choices we make, especially as we age.

 “Will you work hard or be lazy, be kind to someone or insulting? How you react to someone or something will determine if you go down a path towards success,” the NBA legend said. “One of the first words my father instilled in me to achieve success was pride. You have to have pride in all that you do.”

 And the word PRIDE was the central talking point of the presentation with Barry taking each letter revealing specific characteristics required for success.

 P is for preparation, he pointed out, suggesting that it doesn’t matter what profession one is in. He compared audience members to that of a sports team in that everybody has to do their different jobs in order to achieve success.

 “To be successful, everyone must work together and be a good teammate. Knowing the competition, and how to utilize the information available to your advantage are also key elements in success,” Barry said. “The letter P also stands for perseverance. No matter how hopeless a task may seem, you can never give up. Always set goals. Successful people never quit as perseverance doesn’t allow you to quit. I admire greatness in everyone, and those who never give up. The willingness to persevere allows me to be a success in my personal life.”

 Another word beginning with the letter P is passion, which is so important for success because you have to love what you’re doing.

 “I was asked the other night if I miss playing basketball, I said no,” Barry added. “Why? It’s because I don’t think about it. Most people don’t have the ability to take things that may be upsetting and put them on the back burner, and simply not think about them again. I can do that. I mean, I played a game that I love and got paid for it. That is not a job. It was the same for me when I got into broadcasting. They paid me to have the best seat in the house and talk about the game I love. Most successful people I know have a passion.”

 The letter R in pride is for repetition. One has to repeat the things you do until you get it right, Barry told the audience. His father drilled him on the importance of fundamentals and how to utilize them effectively to get things done correctly.

 Barry reminded everyone to never feel that you finally made it and don’t need to work harder to be even better. And if you allow complacency to settle in, your downfall is inevitable.

 The letter I reflects the words inquisitiveness, instinct and intuition.

 “Anticipate situations before they occur,” Barry said. “One must react instinctively where the skills you have mastered become second nature. Letter D is for dedication, determination and desire. If you don’t have these to achieve success, it won’t happen.”

 “Finally, E is for education and effort. You have to study things,” Barry added. “If you aren’t educated in the basic principles of your profession and don’t have the proper foundation, the building will topple. The bigger the foundation, the taller the building. Effort for success boils down to mental toughness. Victory will go to the one who believes they can be victorious. How can anyone go to sleep at night knowing they didn’t give their best effort that day, I cannot understand that. You owe effort and your best to bosses, co-workers but most importantly, to yourself as well. Don’t let yourself down. I do more for companies now than they expect because that’s what I was taught.”

 Confident people scare people who aren’t confident, Barry said, and he made the analogy success is like a big blackboard. You make your mark but have to watch out for people walking around with erasers. Be prepared, he added, for people who don’t know you to sit in judgement of you.

 “To gain confidence and achieve success you can’t be afraid to fail. The fear of failure is a reason why people don’t achieve success,” Barry said. “The fastest way to learn to do something right is to do it wrong. If you are confident, you can eliminate the most overused word in life, especially in sports Pressure.

 “Pressure does not exist unless you allow it to,” he added. “Using the qualities I’ve mentioned that comprise the word pride will help you be successful. However, remember, you have to have fun because you can’t be serious all of the time.”

 Barry is most proud of being a long-time board member of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, which serves former professional basketball players, supporting them in life after their playing days, and helping them to leverage their inspirational influence to promote and teach basketball in their communities.

 LaRue Martin, a former No. 1 pick in the NBA and also a member of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, joined Barry on stage for a Q&A to close out the presentation.

 One question asked was how the former star of the Golden State Warriors stayed so driven to be as successful as he was and is today.

 “It’s all about focus,” Barry said. “I don’t allow distractions to get in the way of goals. Focus is so critical to achieve success. One may have lofty goals, such as playing professional sports, which won’t happen for every person, so I tell young people to get their education, so you have something to fall back on.”

 On the business side, Barry has been involved in over a dozen different companies, including those based around real estate, health and wellness products, consulting, sales, agriculture, medicine, and software. He enjoys investing in new products and services that combine competitive sports with helping people.