I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.
Michael JordanRead
Great players never look in the mirror and think I'm a great basketball player. You ask yourself, Am I the best player I can be?
Interpretation
True greatness is about continuous self-improvement rather than self-admiration.
In this quote, Michael Jordan emphasizes that the mindset of exceptional players revolves around self-evaluation and striving for personal bests rather than resting on their past achievements. It encourages individuals to focus more on their potential and the effort required to reach it, instead of getting complacent with their current status or skills.
In practice
In a sports motivational speech to young athletes.
I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.
There are no shortcuts. I approached practices the same way I approached games. You can't turn it on and off like a faucet. I couldn't dog it during practice and then, when I needed that extra push late in the game, expect it to be there. Very few people get anywhere by taking shortcuts.
Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
Don't be like me. Be better than me. That's the goal.
Success isn't something you chase. It's something you have to put forth the effort for constantly. Then maybe it'll come when you least expect it. Most people don't understand that.
I think the great part about what I do is that there's a scoreboard. At the end of every week, you know how you did. You know how well you prepared. You know whether you executed your game plan. There's a tangible score.
Losers fix the blame; winners fix what caused the problem.
The people at the top don't work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder.
I have gone through a long apprenticeship. I have gone through enough of being a nobody. I have decided that when I am a star, I will be every inch and every moment the star! Everybody from the studio gateman to the highest executive will know it.
I'm not the best player in the history of tennis. I think I'm amongst the best. That's true. That's enough for me.
Talent without effort is wasted talent. And while effort is the one thing you can control in your life, applying that effort intelligently is next on the list.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.