Being Michael Jordan

From an early age we are constantly compared – to national averages, to our peers, to our parents and siblings and to those that have gone before us. It’s a challenge many children struggle with, and it carries on into adulthood, the workplace and life in general. Little wonder then that we often find ourselves spending too much time comparing our performance to that of our peers, our competitors and friends.

You wont be surprised that at the age of 10, a junior basketballer, I felt a significant weight of expectation. Carrying the name Michael Jordan draws immediate comparisons with someone so accomplished at the sport. And there are very few people that can stand up to that type of scrutiny on any court.

Its not the competition that hurts us, but the way we react to it.

Many fear failure, we all want to look smart in public, want to look competent on the sporting field and want to look like someone who can make things happen in the boardroom. How do we know whether we are good at these things? By comparing ourselves with those in the room with us at the time.

When we lose, when we miss a goal, when we don’t get a job there are a large number of variables that we can blame. Too often though, we blame our ability. We blame our lack of intelligence, or our slow reaction times. We blame elements outside of our control.

The true trick is to not blame anyone. Instead use every setback as an opportunity to improve. Each time we miss a target or a goal, we need to take time to learn and to improve. That is the only way to ensure success in the long term.

To make comparison valuable we need to compare the right elements

Michael Jordan was an exceptional player, but it wasn’t always that way. He was sacked by his high school team, wasn’t the first draft pick into the NBA in his year and didn’t win the title until well into his career.

And here lies the opportunity for us all. Michael Jordan wasn’t always a great player, but he became one. How? Through dedication, competitiveness, commitment to learning and a growth mindset Michael Jordan became the greatest player of all time.

Instead of assuming I didnt have the talent to be that good, I could have decided at the age of ten that I wanted to train and compete like Jordan – had I done that instead of giving up, I would be a far greater player than I am today?

To demonstrate, check out The Dan Plan

Dan was a social golfer, he enjoyed golf but was terrible at it. Then Dan quit his job to play golf full time – today he practices, trains and plays golf every day and has clocked over 5,000 hours of deliberate practice.

There are two dan’s, one was a terrible golfer. Today’s Dan is a very good golfer (although still a way off being a pro).

To create lasting change in any area you want to pursue, you need to change the way you train, the way you prepare and how you go about your business. Move the focus from comparing your performance, to comparing what you do to create performance.