Michael Jordan is regarded as one of the best of all time. In this entrepreneurial article by Nick Scheidies, we have found 11 great tips from Michael that will motivate teenagers in the classroom and on the sports field to be the best that they can be.
Use this motivation from a great athlete to stimulate the making of positive habits
#1 Trust the Game
“Be true to the game, because the game will be true to you. If you try to shortcut the game, then the game will shortcut you. If you put forth the effort, good things will be bestowed upon you.” Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan believed that he would get out of the game exactly what he put into it.
If you don’t completely trust the game – if you think it’s “unfair” or “rigged” – then deep-down you’re not going to be feel motivated to give it everything you have. With that attitude, you’ve lost before you even begin.
Whether in life, at school, or basketball, you get out what you put in. Trust in this: “If you do the work, you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.” Michael Jordan
#2 Master the Fundamentals
“You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.” Michael Jordan
Basketball’s like anything else: it mostly comes down to doing all of the basic stuff right. Once you’ve got the fundamentals down, you’ve got a solid foundation to build on.
Jordan warns that when you “get away from fundamentals… the bottom can fall out of your game, your schoolwork, your job… whatever you’re doing.”
#3 Learn from Your Parents
You might expect that Michael’s boyhood heroes were NBA superstars like Jerry West and Kareem Abdul-Jabar, but you’d be wrong. “My heroes are and were my parents. I can’t see having anyone else as my heroes.” Michael Jordan
Jordan’s respect and admiration for his parents is one of the keys to his success.
#4 Practice Every Day
“I’m not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat.” Michael Jordan
When Jordan first tried out for his high school basketball team, he didn’t make varsity. In an interview with ESPN, Jordan described how he felt: “It was embarrassing not making that team. They posted the roster and it was there for a long, long time without my name on it. I remember being really mad too, because there was a guy that made it that really wasn’t as good as me.”
Jordan channeled his embarrassment and anger into motivation during practice: “Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I’d close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it… that usually got me going again.”
Jordan became better at playing than everyone else by first becoming better at practicing than everyone else. Until the end of his career, Michael was known to be the first person to get to the gym and the last one to leave.
#5 School is Important
Jordan decided to leave the University of North Carolina to enter the NBA draft one year early. In 1984, he started his professional career without a college degree.
Despite immediate success in the NBA, Jordan decided to go back to school. In 1986, he returned to North Carolina to earn his degree.
#6 Don’t Let People Get in Your Head
“It’s heavy duty to try to do everything and please everybody… I can’t live with what everyone’s impression of what I should or what I shouldn’t do.” Michael Jordan
Jordan was getting a lot of attention his rookie year. Sports Illustrated put him on the cover of their magazine with the words “A Star is Born” just one month into his NBA career.
All that quick attention aggravated a few NBA veterans. They decided to execute a “freeze out” of Jordan during the All-Star game where they simply wouldn’t pass him the ball.
But Jordan was unfazed. When the regular season resumed, he continued his stellar play and went on to win Rookie of the Year. Jordan is proof that you don’t have to let other people get into your head.
#7 Know How to Respond to Failure
“Failure makes me work even harder.” Michael Jordan
Jordan wasn’t always a winner. The first time he got to the NBA playoffs, his Bulls were knocked out in the first round. The next two years, they were swept by the Boston Celtics. After that, the Bulls were beat by the Detroit Pistons three years in a row.
All Jordan knew was failure. But it only made him want to be better. He’s said, “Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot… and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
#8 Just Do It
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” Michael Jordan
There are three types of people. Jordan’s the type of person who makes it happen.
Which type are you?
#9 You Can’t Do It Alone
“If you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades will take care of themselves. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” Michael Jordan
Throughout the 80’s, Jordan racked up a ton of personal achievements (scoring titles, league MVP awards, and “Defensive Player of the Year”). But no championships.
Those didn’t come until he had the help of Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, and Phil Jackson.
#10 Excellence Speaks for Itself
At their prime, the Bulls would sell out every stadium they played in – home or away.
But the thing bringing in big crowds wasn’t the marketing department. It was the superior performance that Jordan and his teammates were putting on display. “Let your game be your promotional or marketing tool.” Michael Jordan
When you consistently deliver an excellent product, people will find out. No marketing firm necessary.
#11 Embrace the Present
“Live the moment for the moment.” Michael Jordan
Every moment you’ve experienced has been right now.
If you want a deeper sense of contentment and satisfaction in your life, begin making the most of the present. Starting now.
This is fantastic advice from one of the worlds greatest sporting heros. Use this motivation to set your goals and achieve them. Once you have made some good habits, be sure to hang onto them.
Don't let anything stop you.
The time is now.
