How did Michael Jordan’s Mindset Make Him the King of Basketball

Text adapted from https://leverageedu.com/blog/michael-jordan/

Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. He is a spectacular

sportsman with a rare blend of essential robustness, charm, tempo, authority,
brilliance, mental focus, and insatiable competitive willingness and has single-
handedly redefined the NBA. He is the perfect example of a strong and willing
mindset. In this blog let’s learn more about his life and achievements!

However, his influence is far more significant than the accolades and league
titles. He tumbled into the league as a redshirt freshman sensation. He scored in a
series of unmatched first steps and acrobatic drives and dunks, concluding his
professional life as a social emblem. Along the way, he had become a real winner
who pioneered the globalization of the NBA with his versatile on-court characteristics
and professional sense of style. While it’s apparent that Jordan is a naturally gifted
sportsman, much of what has made him triumphant is his mindset. Here in this blog,
we explore lessons worth learning from Michael Jordan.

Failure Is the New Definition Of Success

Jordan taught us that failure is not the end of your journey; rather, it is the
beginning of a new chapter and the reason for your upcoming success. Unlike every
person who failed and gave up on themselves, Jordan learned from his mistakes and
moved forward with the utmost determination to perform better. Not only did he
believe in himself, but he proceeded forward with perseverance. Michael Jordan put
in what he had and proved himself not by words but with actions and the results.

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-
six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over
and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying”
Teamwork Multiplies Success

As a member of his team, Michael Jordan showed us through some of the

most remarkable games played by him where he scored well, how to keep together
as a single unit. Jordan is the prime example that perseverance and hard work put
together leads to success. Teamwork is all about filling each other’s weaknesses and
flaws and the ability to work together toward a common vision.

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”

Practice and Constantly Upgrade Yourself

In 1993, after winning his third NBA championship, Michael Jordan decided to
retire from his basketball career and transition into baseball. In the first few months
as a baseball player, he really struggled with batting.
So what did he do?
He practiced.
He practiced batting early in the day. He practiced after regular batting
practice. He practiced before the games and after the games. As batting coach Mike
Barnett said, “his work ethic was the best I’ve ever been around.”
Michael Jordan’s philosophy was simple — you earn success through
determined, consistent practice. So if you want to get better at something, go
practice it. If you want to become better, commit to upgrading yourself — and you
can only do that through consistent effort and practice. There is no escaping hard
work — if you ever find yourself searching for ‘hacks’ and ‘quick wins,’ then you’re
playing in the zone of a fixed mindset.
“If you do the work you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.”

Strengthening Your Fundamentals

Another important lesson taught by Micheal Jordan is that it is of utmost

importance to identify your core fundamentals and focus on being great at them. This
is so because knowing the edge of your competency is essential to improve yourself.
If you know your strengths and weaknesses, you will know where to put in more hard
work and where putting in more practise will lead to perfection. The ability to discover
and advance your capabilities is the key to professional and personal competency. It
is essential for being successful and being a better version of

“You can practice shooting 8 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.”

“Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion”

Playing to Win

Michael Jordan showed us that you must play a game in a competitive,

enthusiastic way if you want to play a game. It would be best if you played your game
in such a way that it converges intently on winning. Winning is validation that the
game has been played the right way and that the training, hard work and patience
paid off.

“I play to win, whether during practice or a real game. And I will not let anything get
in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win.”

Becoming Who You Are Meant to Be

Last but not the least Michael Jordan taught us that if we out in more time in
the present rather than anguishing or feeling frustrated over history or what happened
in the past, we would be able to put our best foot forward. Jordan said that fretting or
agonizing about tomorrow or being anxious about what the future holds; we will waste
our energy and not use it the right way. He taught us to identify the infinite capabilities
and the endless opportunities await us when we start believing in ourselves.

“Look me in the eye. It’s okay if you’re scared. So am I. But we are scared for different
reasons. I am scared of what I won’t become. And you are scared of what I could
become. Look at me. I won’t let myself end where I started. I won’t let myself finish
where I began. I know what is within me, even if you can’t see it yet. Look me in the
eyes. I have something more important than courage. I have patience. I will become
what I know I am.”

Michael Jordan wasn’t born with talent, he cultivated it. He worked hard —
harder than anyone else in the league. He learned how to stay present and keep his
focus under pressure. He rose back up after setbacks. He bounced around from one
failure to another. And he stretched beyond his ordinary abilities to transform himself
into an extraordinary performer at his art.

Michael Jordan apprehended that we, as individuals, are the only ones
defining our magnanimity. He inspired us to learn from our mistakes, sculpt our
strategy, be more beneficial and thankful than we were yesterday, and don’t let a
setback define us as a person. We at Leverage Edu bow our heads to such an
exhilarating personality who inspires thousands of dreams. Stay tuned with us for
more such enlivening inspirations!