MJ Mondays | Win At All Costs

Sometimes I wish that we could win every game that we play. It would be fun if we could control the leagues and tournaments that we play in so that we face just enough competition to push us, but that we always win and take home the top medal or trophy.

But the reality is we can't win them all. We don't make every shot, We don't hit every pitch, we don't catch every pass, and we don't put every kick in the back of the net. We learn valuable lessons from losses, and learning how to deal with adversity is important.

Michael Jordan said, "My innate personality is to win at all costs. If I have to do it myself, I'm going to do it. Every time I step on that basketball court, my focus is to win the game, and it drives me insane when I can't. I wouldn't be here without the lessons that I learned at a very young age. The competitiveness within me started when I was a kid."

Michael Jordan said that his parents provided him and his siblings with all of the opportunities that they needed to succeed in life. As a family, they were naturally tough. In their house, if you got knocked down, you had to get up. In their family, you had to always give it your best and you always tried to win. They all hated to lose.

His mother and father always tried to share with him and his siblings, "Don't wait for somebody to give you something. You are strong and you are intelligent; go out and earn it and work for it."

Michael's parents worked hard to make a living for their family, and they wanted to keep their kids busy through sports. They wanted their kids to play organized sports so that they could learn about life. Michael said racism was all over North Carolina when he was growing up, so his motivation was to be better than what he saw in his community.

The Jordan family competed in the backyard, and they all hated losing. In their family, if you lost it would lead to a fight. They were so competitive that many of their games ended in fights, and their father pushed everybody. If he felt that you weren't doing the best you could, he found a way to push you harder.

His father said that when you come to blows with someone you love, it ignites a fire within you. When you are going through the fire and you are looking for approval and confidence, your determination can lead you to try to be better than your competitors. When Michael got cut from the varsity team, he said, "When I got home and told my mother that I was cut, I was demoralized and I didn't want to play anymore sports. I felt like the coach didn't like me."

Michael's mom said, "He was devastated. He came home upset and crying, and we both cried because I knew he wanted to really compete with the other guys. His mother's words to him were, "If you really want it, you work hard over the summer." And he did. His mom said, "That summer, he was focused. He would practice all day, every day. That basketball never left his hand."

Michael's father said, "If you want to bring out the best in Michael, tell him he can't do something or tell him that he can't do it as good as somebody else. He takes it as a personal challenge to go out and do it just to prove you wrong."

If you want to be the best, this is the standard that you have to live by. You have to seek the truth about your ability and your performance. You have to find ways to close gaps, strengthen weaknesses and grow. You have to be willing to put in the work that it takes to keep going and growing.