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re: Ellington, I think it was LRMAM during an interview for my book who said something like "A lot of guys come into the league thinking they will be able to do everything, and the ones who stay in the league are the ones who quickly figure out and focus on what they can do."
I've thought about that a lot. The layer of player between the stars and the truly replaceable/interchangeable guys always has fascinated me. Figuring out how you provide value and mashing that button is such a good life lesson, tho. It will keep you in very good stead.
That doesn't mean you -- as a player or a person in general -- shouldn't strive to add new skills, take on more responsibility, even shoot for the moon. But *knowing what you are* at your core is so useful, as there's almost always going to be someone smarter or better than you.
If you combine a humble embrace of what you are with being a good person -- coachable, good teammate, giving of yourself without expecting reciprocity -- you'll probably find yourself in very good shape for a long while. People will want you around.
I will add it's never too late to figure this out about yourself. Despite my regularly cynical sass on here, I've really embraced this kind of attitude in my real life much more over the last 5 years. Growing as a person, being a better teammate, building genuine relationships.
I've tried to help a lot of people, be a mentor, give of myself privately. And it's a lot more satisfying than my lone wolf approach that was a large part of my earlier career, where I figured my work would stand for itself. A lot of people do good work; you need to be more.
