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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