3.29 Nancy Lieberman: Beating the Mind Monsters

“There’s no substitute for hard work. If you work hard and prepare yourself, you might get beat, but you’ll never lose.” Nancy Lieberman

Nancy Lieberman is a basketball Hall of Famer and is one of the greatest figures in women’s basketball.

But Lieberman had a rough upbringing and many tough obstacles she had to overcome. In a TEDx Talk, she said, “My life has been riddled with Nancy-can’t Moments. Nancy can’t do this, Nancy can’t do this, Nancy can’t do that.”

She said you have to beat the Mind Monsters - the voices that tell you what you can’t do and shouldn’t do, but her mantra has been: You have to see it, say it, and be it. This is how she reinforced her confidence, self-esteem, and decision-making. This mantra helps overcome the Mind Monsters and live with confidence.

She won championships in college in as a professional, and she became a head coach in the WNBA.

Then, when the NBA created the D-League, the Dallas Mavericks named her the first female head coach in a men’s professional league, and when the Sacramento Kings hired her as an assistant coach, she became the second female coach in the NBA.

Aside from seeing it, saying it, and being it, she said you have to know the power you have within you and master the things that take no talent, like how you walk, talk, and show up with confidence.

But you will face obstacles. Lieberman said, “There’s no substitute for hard work. If you work hard and prepare yourself, you might get beat, but you’ll never lose.”

Question of the Day: How can you use see it, say it, and believe it to make your life better and dreams come true?

Watch the video here: Growing Up on a Man's Court | Nancy Liebermann