Never Fear Failure (& never give a sh*t what others might think)

I was just watching a video of Michael Jordan yesterday.

After he won 3 NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, he traded in the basketball shoes for some baseball cleats.

I’m not sure how many people remember this venture of Jordan’s, but what he said about it really stuck in my head.

He left basketball at a point where he was already regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in the world (if not THE BEST).

But he had a dream.

In fact, he and his dad had shared this dream.

After Jordan’s dad was tragically murdered, he retired from basketball to play baseball.

Obviously, the critics came out in droves…

“What is he doing?”

“He’s just not cut out for baseball.”

“Why would he give up the sport he is best at for a pipedream in the minor league system?”

No one really understood Jordan’s motives, but so many people thought it was foolish and that he would fail miserably.

In fact, many say that he DID fail miserably…

They point to his .202 batting average in the minor leagues as evidence that he was a failure.

But Jordan doesn’t see it that way; he doesn’t see it that way at all.

In this video Jordan said (I’m paraphrasing):

“It wasn’t a failure at all. I was improving every day. I was getting a little bit better with each repetition and with each at-bat. Nothing about my time in the minor leagues was a failure, I might not have been the “Michael Jordan” I was in basketball, but my work-ethic and dedication were still there”.

This is just a glimpse into the mind of one of the greatest athletes to ever walk the face of this earth.

Nothing is failure if you are dedicated.

The results might not show up immediately, but eventually, dedication and hard work always manifest in results.

Jordan knew this.

He knew that he was going from being the number 1 player in the world in one sport, to a sport where he was starting at the absolute bottom.

But what I admire most about Jordan, is that he was willing to put himself in that position.

He was willing to struggle.

He was willing to let people talk about what a failure he was.

He was willing to have people question his attempt.

He simply didn’t care.

It’s truly a great lesson for us all.

So many of us fear a glorious attempt because we might “fail”.

Worst of all, we fear courageously attempting something simply because of what others might think.

We develop this powerful vision of who we are, and who we want to be, only to relinquish all that power because of what a few insignificant people might say about us…

That makes NO sense.

You must protect the good opinion you’ve formed of yourself at all costs.

I think the 2 big takeaways from the mentality of Michael Jordan are simple:

1) Don’t be afraid of failure

Jordan knew that he might never make it to the “big leagues”, and he didn’t, but that never stopped him.

He had a willingness to set aside his ego and start at the bottom again.

He knew that to be successful at anything, he simply had to commit to the same process that led him to stardom in basketball.

He showed up to the ballpark every day and worked his ass off.

He got a little bit better every day.

If Major League Baseball didn’t go on strike, I have no doubt he would have eventually made it to the “big leagues” … that’s just who he is.

2) Don’t give a sh*t what anybody else thinks

This is maybe the most important lesson of all.

Jordan faced INTENSE criticism for his decision to leave basketball in pursuit of a baseball career, but that never slowed him down.

He made his decision without hesitation, knowing he might fail.

He knew in his heart that it was something he wanted…. And that was enough for him.

He never let the opinions of others dictate his decision.

Jordan’s baseball career is proof of what type of man he is; a man who doesn’t fear failure and doesn’t give a sh*t what anybody might think of him.