Earning Your Spot In College | MJ Mondays

Even the great Michael Jordan said there were a lot of doubters when he was trying to pick schools, but his dad pushed him to go to North Carolina. It's important to have people in our corner who believe in us more than we believe in ourselves sometimes.

Jordan said Coach Dean Smith, the legendary North Carolina basketball coach, would challenge you mentally. He made you think. He never cursed, he kept you humble, and he gave you confidence by giving you compliments when he thought you needed it.

Jordan said he was afraid of Coach Smith because Coach Smith was a huge name in North Carolina. He said that it was intimidating the way that he controlled practice. Every minute was thought out and he was very demanding.

When Jordan got to North Carolina as a freshman, there had only been four freshman starters. His goal was just to get on the court and make an impact. He said, 

"I am listening to what the coaches want, and I'm competing my butt off. I'm trying to impress all of them. I'm not trying to con anybody. I'm competing, and I'm trying to earn the highest accolades. I wanted them to know that I listened, that I applied what I was learning, that I worked hard every single day. I wanted them to know I would be the first guy onto the floor and the last one to leave."

We all want to get on that court and help our team win. But you have to earn that. It's done every day in practice, and it's done by what you do between practices and the work that you put in on your own.