Michael Jordan's Trainer on How to Be Unstoppable

[Ubermensch]

This is an interview with Tim Grover, perhaps the greatest trainer on the planet. Most of what follows are either direct quotes from the interview or notes taken.

Notes: 0:00 - 2:00

Michael Jordan describes this guy as "second to none," which is probably how MJ describes himself. How good does one have to be in order for Michael Jordan to describe them as "second to none"?

Notes: 2:00 - 4:00

Tim tells a story about how - at the age of four - he had to help his father dismantle and dispose of cadavers. Working with a bone saw on deceased human bodies taught the young boy that he must do whatever it takes to provide for his family.

Notes: 4:00 - 6:00

You can use experiences from childhood to keep you at the bottom or lift you to the top.

This guy convinced Michael Jordan to work with him as a trainer, even though he didn't know Jordan at all before working with him.

Most people let things from their childhood at their current level.

Your notion of success is completely defined by you - and only you.

You can't be listed as a failure if you are the first to actually do something.

Notes: 6:00 - 10:00

Tim Grover is called in to help people who are already great, who are already at the top of their game. He has to help top producers squeeze out the last remaining drops of ability from the sponge of potential.

To do this, he says that preparation has to be second to none.

The time between delivering the result - and the performance is done - you have to educate yourself on EVERYTHING that person has done in the last 3 - 5 years. You need to know what they've been doing, how they've been working, who've they've been working with, what their family life is like.

The people who can excel in any situation - no matter what variable is thrown at them - are extremely prepared.

Most people exhale when the game is over - or when the contract is signed. Champions never exhale.
There is no such thing as "beast mode" for such people. They are simply beasts around the clock; their monster-attitude is non-stop.

These people he calls "cleaners," not closers. Cleaners are a step above closers, just as legends are a step above icons.

Cleaners spend hours and hours of time - years, even - to get prepared. No matter what gets thrown at them, they are going to deliver that end results over and over and over again.

They have the ability to adjust and put themselves in the zone. To get in the zone, preparation is the key.

Notes: 11:30 - 13:00

Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame speech - one of my favorite speeches ever - received criticism for the attitude projected.

During his speech, Mike talked about how great he is, how there is no "I" in team, but there is one in "WIN."

There is, in fact, an "I" in the word "SIX."

As in $IX rings, $IX trophies, and $IX championships.

All wins. No losses.

MJ doesn't care what the rest of the world, and anyone who does will be held back to a certain degree.

We want to fit into this group or that group - this frat or that sorority, this club or that clique - yet the people we admire and hero-worship the most are those that do not flock with sheeple. We admire those who are thrown to the wolves and come back leading the pack.

Notes: 13:00 - 14:00

A scalpel, in the hand of an evil-doer, can do incredible damage to the human body. In the hands of a surgeon, it can save lives.

So it is with "the dark side," a synonym used in the interview for "failure." Failure is painful; it is the fire that should push you forward to succeed.

Notes: 15:00 - 22:00

People who study this guy don't necessary wring the truth out of every word he has to say, which is precisely what they should. This is the guy the greats call when they're in a crunch.

There is a difference between pretending that you are maximizing your potential and just going through the motions, or just going half of the way. To really do the things necessary to lift yourself to the zenith of your potential, you have to accept some painful truths and realities about who you really are. Only after being honest and realistic with your situation can you truly identify the actions necessary.

Relentlessness is not dependent upon your physical traits; it is a mental attribute.

Grover's mental quantum leap occurred when he admitted to himself that he would never be one of the greatest athletes in the world, and would therefore take the world's greatest athletes, show them what they're doing wrong, and then show them how to do it better.

He doesn't use many words when telling the truth. People don't want to hear the truth, but you grow from pain. You can't know how to deal with success or failure if you haven't had a taste of everything (this goes back to the importance of preparation). Once you've had the bitter taste in your mouth (from failure, from loss), you realize that you never want to go there again.

Notes: 22:00 - 23:00

Don't be a something. Be The Something.

Notes: 23:00 - 25:00

Everyone deals with butterflies and the vortex of mental vicissitudes, emotional ups and downs, etc.

Everyone gets butterflies when they're nervous. If you get all of the butterflies moving in one direction, you've won the battle.

From a mental standpoint, if I can get all of the thoughts moving in one direction, instead of putting blame on others, instead of feeling sorry for myself, instead of feeling guilty. These are emotions and emotions make you weak.

When Kobe Bryant blew out his Achilles tendon, he shot two free throws and walked himself off of the court. If he had someone carry him off of the court, if he didn't shoot those two free throws, he would've lost the battle.

That's how a cleaner thinks. We all have that ability. We all have that next level ability.

Your boss isn't holding you back. Your parents aren't holding you back.

All luck is preparation meeting opportunity. You have to be ready and prepared for that situation.

 

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[Fox]

Thanks for this. Great write up.

 

[DeletedUser396]

Incredibly inspiring.

It sounds cliché, but we as human beings are capable of everything we put our minds to.

Kids can learn everything they want really fast, they're curious, they have all the drive and energy in the world, they're creative and see life as an adventure, they don't have confidence issues, they are visionaries.

Social conditioning tries to tell us that we're not good enough, that the greats were just born that way, that talent is something you cannot control, that we can't sing, can't draw, can't dance and can't write.
It's all bullshit.

It's no wonder that people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Richard Feynman, Francis Crick, Sergey Brin and Sergey Brin all took LSD.
Their self-doubt? Gone. Self-actualization is where it's at.

Everybody is capable of great things, everybody is capable of falling in love with something and working like a savant for 10,000 hours to master it.
It's all about finding that thing, that niche of self-expression, be it music, sports, computers, motors, sales...
Experience everything until you deeply fall in love with YOUR craft.

It's not about hard work, it's about being buried in what you're doing, but loving every single moment of it, even the moment of darkness and self-doubt.

 

[Ubermensch]

Incredibly inspiring.

It sounds cliché, but we as human beings are capable of everything we put our minds to.

Kids can learn everything they want really fast, they're curious, they have all the drive and energy in the world, they're creative and see life as an adventure, they don't have confidence issues, they are visionaries.

Social conditioning tries to tell us that we're not good enough, that the greats just born that way, that talent is something you cannot control, that we can't sing, can't draw, can't dance and can't write.
It's all bullshit.

It's no wonder that people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Richard Feynman, Francis Crick, Sergey Brin and Sergey Brin all took LSD.
Their self-doubt? Gone. Self-actualization is where it's at.

Everybody is capable of great things, everybody is capable of falling in love with something and working like a savant for 10,000 hours to master it.
It's all about finding that thing, that niche of self-expression, be it music, sports, computers, motors, sales...
Experience everything until you deeply fall in love with YOUR craft.

It's not about hard work, it's about being buried in what you're doing, but loving every single moment of it, even the moment of darkness and self-doubt.

What made Michael play the game better than anyone?

It was not the vicious dunks. They were a result of the cause, not the actual cause.

It wasn't the haircut (although this may have helped with aerodynamics!).

It was not the shoes (although a financial empire would be built off of people buying Mike's shoes, so that they could be a little bit more like Mike)

It wasn't the short socks.

And again, it was not the shoes.

Everything came down to how Michael practiced. His teamates were often more impressed with how he performed in practice than how he performed in games. He would trash talk in games. Practice with Jordan was like a game, not practice. Jordan describes everyday of practice as competition, and that is how he treated it.

By time the game came around, it wasn't practice anymore it was routine. As MJ pointed out: Anything that happened in a game, I've already seen before. I'm ready for it.

So, when the lights are shining, the whole crowd goes so loud that the floor shakes, and the announcer calls the last few seconds of the game: Jordan, for the win...

He nails the shot, because he's taken that shot a time before in practice. Probably 10,000 times.

Interviewer: Was fear of failure a motivator?

Jordan: I never feared about my skills, because I put in the work. Work ethic eliminates fear. So if you put forth the work, what are you fearing? You know what you're capable of doing and what you're not.

Jordan: "I practice as if I'm playing in the game, so when the moment comes in the game, it's not new to me. That's the beauty of the game of basketball. That's the reason why you practice. That's the effort, so that when you get to that moment, you don't have to think. Instinctively (snaps fingers), things happen."

For some reason I freeze up during cold calls. Whenever a prospect on the other side of the phone asks me a question I just get paralyzed.

I find it fascinating how the prerequisites for greatness and success remain fixed, irrespective of the field of study or practice, which is what made @Kung Fu Steve reply to @Fendaril such good advice.

1. Preparation: if there's any one thing that creates call reluctance -- it's lack of preparation. You don't know who you're calling on and it puts you in kind of an awkward position. It's difficult to research everyone before you call them (especially if you're making 100+ calls per day), but a quick google search will at least give you a glimpse of who they are and what they do.

2. Preparation 2: Keep the script in front of you until you have it memorized (especially if you're not a natural on the phone... and actually even if you are).

In any new undertaking - learning a new musical instrument, a new language, a new physical or athletic activity - the initial moments will be difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first.

Incredibly inspiring.

It sounds cliché, but we as human beings are capable of everything we put our minds to.

Social conditioning tries to tell us that we're not good enough, that the greats were just born that way, that talent is something you cannot control, that we can't sing, can't draw, can't dance and can't write.

It's all bullshit.

100% agreed, and this applies to virtually anything: physical, mental, financial, etc.

I remember when I couldn't do a one-legged squat. Now I'm strong enough so that they're easy.

I remember when I couldn't play the piano. Now I play scales effortlessly and fluently.

The simple concepts of repetition and (perfect) practice produce results without fail.

Only question is: What do you want to master?

Perspiration - caused by preparation - determines the outcome.

 

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[DeletedUser396]

Since we're talking about basketball:

WILL.
Will goes against all odds.
Will is what moves the universe.

If you're a fan of Nietzsche, you certainly have played with the idea of nihilism, if you go really deep down the rabbit hole just staying alive is an accomplishment of pure will. How painful and difficult can life be? What's the point of enduring such great pain without leaving a permanent mark on it?
Might as well go all in and challenge existence with everything you have.
What makes us human? Creativity and long-term thinking. Not using them makes you an animal that is aware of itself, the most troubled form of life in existence.
That's why so many people resort to downers, they make you an animal that is NOT aware of itself, for a short period of time they make you forget about the glory you can achieve but aren't pursuing.

As stupid as it may sound, take two kids from the same school, they will get their favorite toy for Christmas if they memorize a complex poem. One kid is very bright, he really wants the toy but gives up after a few hours, the other kid is half retarded but manages to study the poem for days, mastering it and getting the toy.
Intelligence, testosterone, talent... They all help, but will is king.

P.S. Nice piano skills there.

 

[hellolin]

You guys should read Shane Snow's book "Smartcuts", he talks about how people leverage smart shortcuts alone with their hard work to get to the top. One of the topic that he talks about was the concept of momentum, it is similar to preparation. It's all in Newton's first law of motion: Things that stays in motion tends to stay in motion, while things that sit still tends to sit still. Once momentum build up, all it needs is a small wave and it can go very, very far, and the momentum is the preparation.

 

[Ubermensch]

Since we're talking about basketball:

The video is posted is an excerpt of a long interview between Joe Rogan and Robert Greene.

2:17:05 - 2:18:00

Robert Greene: "I happen to love Nietzsche a lot. I've loved him since I was a kid."

Joe Rogan: "Ubermensch."

Robert Greene: "The Ubermensch. This is a book about the Ubermensch, my next book."

How painful and difficult can life be? What's the point of enduring such great pain without leaving a permanent mark on it? Might as well go all in and challenge existence with everything you have.

Challenge existence with everything you have, propel yourself into the universe with a full understanding of your place in history.

Will is what moves the universe.

As you rightly say, will moves the universe. What word better describes the history of the universe - from the big bang proceeding from the original hot and dense state, to the rapid and exponential expansion (expansion that, as telescopes show us, continues to this day) - and the creation and formation of solar systems, stars, and planets?

What else - besides the birth of earth itself - so perfectly defines the process that our world came into existence?

All life on earth - and earth itself - came from fallout material produced by the big bang billions of years prior. All humans are - and all life on the earth in the universe - therefore, the descendants of stars, the progeny of the most epic explosion in the history of history.

This is why what we do in life echoes in eternity.

A son exists to glorify the life of his father. As worthless and meaningless as that life may be.

But if the boy is to become a man, he must glorify himself. And make a name even greater than his father. A name that will shout throughout history.

If you know Nietzsche, then you know he mentions both Machiavelli and Cesare Borgia. Machiavelli consulted Cesare Borgia on power, and based his book The Prince on Cesare.

It is probably fair to say that Nietzsche would view a Cesare Borgia type as Ubermensch-like.

 

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[Ubermensch]

More gold from Tim Grover:

1) Apply the Don't Think Concept

The "Don't Think Concept," when your skills are so refined and so good, whether it's trading, making business decisions or playing basketball, you know that if you fail, it's just a little stumbling block. The next time you will succeed, because you've done it over, and over, and over again. Not just physically, but mental preparation as well.

2) Always Look for a Competitive Advantage

The thing that makes individuals really special and great is when they're always looking for that competitive edge. This applies to a champion in sports and a champion in business. It's the same mindset. It's about winning the battles, continuing to improve, learning new ways to stay ahead in the game.

Clarity is what gives you the idea of success, being able to close those deals. When you can see and you can think, and you can react with a clear mind - and when you take your emotions out of it - you're in the zone.

Getting the deal is just a byproduct. The minute you get the deal, you're already thinking about what's next.

3) ACT on your passion

If you want to excel at something, don't just focus on the passion itself. Passion is an emotion. It is an emotion without an action.

Passion will get you nowhere. Inner drive will get you nowhere, unless you act on it. You have to act on your passion. You have to act on your inner drive. Don't let those feelings stay inside of you. You gotta know what to do with them. You have to know how to make them work, in order to get what you want. Don't keep them inside.

4) Do Your Homework

Relentless is about trusting your instincts, but the only way you can trust your instincts is when you have done your homework and your skill is so finely tuned at whatever you do.

5) Think About Winning First

For roleplayers trying to step out and be superstars, they need to think about winning first. If the team wins, you'll get paid. If the team doesn't win, you will not get paid. The bottom line is the end result, just like closing a deal. When you close a deal, everyone underneath - the entire company - benefits.

6) Sweat the Small Stuff

Decide, commit, act, succeed, compete.

The one thing that all of the greats have in common is that they sweat the small stuff. They pay very, very close attention to every detail.

Michael used to sweat the details so much in a basketball game, it carried over to his personal life. His suit had to match his car.

Obsessing over details allowed him to be the best basketball player every night.

7) Control Your Dark Side

The Dark Side is something that's in everybody, but it's a situation that you have to control the dark side. When it control you, things go real, real bad. You could go to the "other side."

But if you harness the fuel from the dark side, whether it's anger or fear, turn it into positive fuel.

8) Lead Properly

A great leader doesn't push buttons. Don't let someone have so much control over you that they can push your buttons. Pull other people's buttons and teach people how to push their own buttons.

9) Stay Focused on the Goal

You have to keep yourself focused on whatever your ultimate goal is. There are stumbling blocks all along the way. If your goal and focus remains the same - saying, "hey this is going to happen and I know I have the skills, knowledge and instincts to pull myself out of the hole" - you will dig yourself out of the hole.

10) Don't settle for Legendary.

Be iconic.

 

[Ubermensch]

I am in love with my goals.

I am in love with preparation.

It is preparation that swishes the ball in the net, after breaking Brian Russell's ankles.

It is preparation that closes the deals.

It is preparation that wins the negotiation on Friday night, even thought the meeting is next week, two weeks from now, or first thing in January.

It is preparation that gets lesser opponents postarized.

It is preparation that gives me superior product knowledge, and the capability to dwarf the abilities of any would-be objectors, imbuing me with the power to objectively obliterate objections over every scenario.

It is preparation that allows the WILL to intensify in immensity, in the midst of mind states of Jedis, Sun-Tzu Masters, Generals and Musashi-styled masters of murderous mayhem.

It is preparation that plans the market domination of 2016 - 2020.

It is preparation that determines who will WIN IN THE END.

It is preparation that allows Eminem to his lyrics perfectly every time.

It is preparation that allows Warren Buffet/George Soros/Hedge fund manager/private equity fund/Fortune 100 types to predict (predetermine?) and prophecy for power and profits as if they were a prophet.

It is preparation now, tonight, in this moment, that closes the deals next month.

It is preparation - years of preparation - that puts you in the place in your career when you can close deals for seven and eight figure commissions.

It is preparation that leads the hedge fund manager.

It is preparation that leads the hedge fund manager's technology.

It is preparation that allows you to amass enough wealth to own a team full of players that people idolize.

I never idolized the players.

I idolized the owners.

That's why the Dallas Cowboys are my favorite team.

I don't even watch NFL games anymore.

I just like Jerry Jones' billionaire mind set.

I love billionaire logic. Lol.

I'm a billionaire, so I can run a team better than any of you (Jerry Jones).

I am a billionaire, so I can run a country better than any of you (Donald Trump).

 

[Blue1214]

Thanks for sharing man wow. Have this bookmarked.

 

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[Phenom]

Wow! Just finished the Relentless book and damn it's one hell of a book. I like the no BS approach of the author. I wonder if Grover is related to MJ... My most memorable quote is "From this point, your strategy is to make everyone else get on your level, you’re not going down to theirs.". TFM and Relentless are the only 2 books I think you should read. That's it.

 

[Ubermensch]