“Are your habits today on par with your dreams for tomorrow?”

Think about your life five, 10, 15 years from now. I always like to look at my life from the perspective of the five “F’s” that are my requirements for a successful life. 

They are faith, family, finances, fitness and fun. 

Most of the time I am failing in multiple categories, but I’m always adjusting my plan so I can succeed at all five.

What are the critical success categories for your life? The question you and I must always be asking ourselves is are our habits today taking us to the outcomes we desire in the critical areas of our lives?

Last week, we looked at the successful habits of Tiger Woods. Tiger is amazing, but he has not succeeded in all the areas I know are critical to success in my life.

I need a better role model.

Enter Steph Curry. 

He is an amazing athlete and a dedicated Christian and family man. Much more my style. How has Curry created so much success at his job (basketball) while succeeding at home?

First, who is Steph Curry? 

In case you are not an NBA fan, let me give you a little background. Steph is the son of Dell and Sony Curry. His father, Dell, retired in 2002 as the Charlotte Hornets’ all-time leader in scoring.

Steph plays for the Golden State Warriors. He is a six-time NBA All-Star, has been named the NBA most valuable player twice and has won three NBA championships with the Warriors. Steph is also husband to his wife, Ayesha, and a father of three.

Despite his Dad’s pedigree, most did not expect Steph to succeed in the NBA – if he was able to go pro. Steph has always been small by NBA standards. He graduated high school weighing 140 pounds.

All the schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference passed on giving him a scholarship. His dad’s alma mater, Virginia Tech, only offered him a walk-on spot. He played at Davidson instead. He worked his way to being a first-round draft pick in 2009 though many still doubted that a player of his size could survive in the NBA.

The Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t draft him even though they needed a point guard. Nike refused to give him a decent counter offer and he moved to Under Armour.

Steph has been an underdog all his career – which makes watching him succeed at the highest levels so entertaining. Not that watching Steph could ever be boring.

He can’t win with his size, so he must win with shot making and ball handling. He is amazing to watch. I never watch the NBA but could spend hours watching Steph Curry highlights. 

I force my kids to watch videos of Steph practicing before we play basketball in the backyard. He is fun to watch. Trust me. If you haven’t watched Steph play or practice, search for Steph Curry highlights or practices and be amazed.

Hopefully, you’ve watched some highlights or are already familiar with Steph and you are ready to learn about what makes him so successful on and off the court.

Success leaves clues and the clues I’ve found in Steph’s life all revolve around three areas – faith, work ethic and core values.

Faith: Steph’s faith is more subdued than many, but it is clearly a central tenet in his life and success. It is through his faith that he knows that he can “do all things through Christ.” That faith encourages him to trust the process and keep doing the work.

Work ethic: Alan Stein is an internationally esteemed basketball strength and conditioning coach who had the privilege of working with Steph before anyone knew his name. Steph was the least known player at a camp Stein attended, but Stein felt he was the most impressive player there and the most likely to be a future NBA star. Why? Stein said Steph’s work habits were far beyond any of the other players at the camp.

Core values: Steph knows what is most important in his life. His faith and his family. He knows that his work is a platform he has been given to provide for his family and to point others toward God. Knowing what is most important allows Steph to make the hard decisions required to keep his priorities in order.

We’ll dive deeper into how faith, work ethic and values are critical to a successful life in upcoming columns.

In the meantime, watch some Steph Curry highlights, get inspired and determine the critical success categories for your life.